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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 approach does Dr. Tamkin convince Wilhelm to use in the stock market?

3. Which character thinks, ""I am an idiot. I have no reserve."

4. What does Margaret want Wilhelm to pay for in regard to their sons?

5. How does Dr. Adler feel about Wilhelm?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Wilhelm view himself after speaking with his father?

2. Is Dr. Adler respected by the others at the Hotel? How do you know?

3. When does Wilhelm use the car he parks on the street in the city? Where does he go?

4. How does Wilhelm end up meeting Rubin and Tamkin?

5. Name some of Wilhelm's bad habits that his father cannot stand.

6. In Chapter 7, what is odd about Wilhelm's sobbing at a funeral?

7. What does Wilhelm notice about Tamkin's clothes in Chapter 5?

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

9. Describe Wilhelm's first impressions of Mr. Perls in Chapter 2.

10. In the beginning of Chapter 2, Wilhelm and Dr. Adler have a conversation about Wilhelm's mother. What do they talk about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the first chapter, Wilhelm recalls a line of poetry from a college textbook: "Sunk though he be beneath the wat'ry floor..."

Part 1) What do you think this means in the context of the original poem? How does it relate specifically to Wilhelm?

Part 2) This concept of water and sinking reappears throughout the rest of the book. Cite at least 3 examples where this metaphor is used.

Part 3) Why does Wilhelm constantly go back to this line? Why is he so drawn to it?

Essay Topic 2

Foreshadowing is a literary device that is used quite often in the book.

Part 1) What is foreshadowing?

Part 2) Cite 3 examples of foreshadowing and how they're used in the text.

Part 3) Why is foreshadowing important in this particular story? What effect does it have on us as readers?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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