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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Wilhelm do to show Dr. Adler how Margaret treats him?

2. What does Dr. Adler feel that Margaret is doing?

3. What does Wilhelm expect from his father that he can't seem to get?

4. Why was Dr. Adler a success?

5. According to Wilhelm, which magazine featured an article on Dr. Tamkin?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the one item that Wilhelm tells Dr. Adler he wanted most when he left Margaret and why?

2. Dr. Adler says to Wilhelm, "It doesn't enter your mind that when I die--a year, two years from now--you'll still be here." What does he mean to say and what impression does he give Wilhelm instead?

3. In Chapter 5, what do we learn about Mr. Rowland that helped to convince Wilhelm to invest more money in the stock market?

4. In Chapter 4, Wilhelm reveals the real reason he lost his job. What is it?

5. What is Tamkin's interesting theory about why Dr. Adler is so difficult with Wilhelm?

6. How does Margaret make Wilhelm feel when she harps on him for money?

7. How does Wilhelm find himself at a stranger's funeral in Chapter 7?

8. Describe the guests at the Hotel Gloriana.

9. As Wilhelm walks Mr. Rappaport to get cigarettes, what story does he hear?

10. What happens in Chapter 1 when Wilhelm arrives in Los Angeles to start his career as an actor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dr. Adler and Wilhelm are two important characters in Seize the Day and have a major impact on the course of the story.

Part 1) Compare and contrast the characters of Dr. Adler and Wilhelm. How are they the same? How are they different?

Part 2) How would we see Wilhelm differently if Dr. Adler had never been introduced as a character?

Part 3) Who is the better father, Dr. Adler or Wilhelm? Cite several examples from the book to support your case.

Essay Topic 2

Persuasion is an important motif throughout the book.

Part 1) How is persuasion used in the book to influence the main character, Wilhelm? Be specific with quotes and examples from the text.

Part 2) What techniques does the narrator use to persuade us, the readers, to feel a certain why? Cite examples of this.

Essay Topic 3

In defense of his own intentions, Tamkin tells Wilhelm, "I deal in facts. Facts are always sensational. I'll say that a second time. Facts always! are sensational."

Part 1) What does Tamkin mean by this?

Part 2) How does this serve his own end with Wilhelm?

Part 3) Do you agree with Tamkin? Why or why not?

Part 4) Wilhelm later states, "These hints, made dully as asides, grew by repetition into sensational claims." Does this change the meaning of Tamkin's statement? What is Wilhelm saying about Tamkin and his deceiver's tactics?

(see the answer keys)

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