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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 is the weather like where Bukowski is staying in My Stay at the Poet's Cottage?

2. What kind of writer is Henry Chinasky?

3. What gift does Bukowksi give the couple for their wedding?

4. Where is the railroad crew that Bukowski signs up for in Love it or Leave it?

5. Where does Jack Hendley arrive in Cunt and Kant and a Happy Home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Bukowski's primal desire in Rape! Rape!, and how does he reveal it?

2. In Cunt and Kant and a Happy Home, describe the highs and lows of Jack Hendley's horse races.

3. What is Harry driven by in Reunion?

4. Why does Signo fire Skorski in The Stupid Christs?

5. How does the girlfriend insult her boyfriend in Too Sensitive?

6. What does the narrator of Goodbye Watson think about literature?

7. Describe the character of Signo in The Stupid Christs.

8. What distinct human traits are revealed in Rape! Rape!?

9. What do Bukowski and Maxie leave the conversation with in A Quiet Conversation Piece?

10. How does the boyfriend choose to interpret his girlfriend's insult in Too Sensitive?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Reunion" and "Cunt and Kant and a Happy Home" both contain characters with an addiction--one has an addiction to alcohol, while the other has a gambling addiction. How do each characters' addiction affect their life? Does it affect anyone around them, and if so, how? Describe the cycle of addiction as seen in the stories. Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the stories.

Essay Topic 2

Many stories in "Tales of Ordinary Madness" involve a serious addiction to gambling. Using at least two stories as examples, describe how gambling play a role in the main characters' lives. Describe the cycle of addiction. How does gambling affect the characters' lives? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the stories.

Essay Topic 3

Many different ideas and themes are connected in Tales of Ordinary Madness, but "Notes of a Potential Suicide" reveals connections that are more obvious. What connections are revealed in the story? How is the symphony connected to the Air Show event? What makes them memorable or important for Bukowski? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

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