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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. Howie's first footnote is about _______.

2. What kind of background does Howie think makes anything look good?

3. What did Howie's father hang on the doorknobs of their home?

4. What is supposed to be such a common sight that office workers don't comment about it?

5. What color is the garbage truck Howie was driving behind?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Howie's focus in Chapter 3?

2. What compelling realization does Howie remember when driving behind a garbage truck when he is thirty?

3. What does Howie mean by "the rule of nostalgia"?

4. Howie does Howie's shoelace break?

5. What is the theory that Howie calls the "walking-flexion" model?

6. Why does Howie consider the purchase of a rubber stamp to be one of his advancements?

7. What does Howie notice about his shoes as he reties them in Chapter 4?

8. What does Howie believe to be the four reasons why it is good for brain cells to die?

9. What were the "systems of local transport" that Howie liked as a child?

10. Why does Howie purchase a milk carton at Papa Gino's?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the time sequence of the novel and how it adds or detracts from the reader's ability to connect with the narrative.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the paradox of Howie the man-child and the greater truth that existed within that ambiguity.

Essay Topic 3

Has Baker achieved a literary work of profound complexity or is "The Mezzanine" a trivial novel, completely lacking in plot? Explain your view based on evidence in the novel.

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