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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. In Istanbul, James marvels that his friends reduce every culture to what?

2. In Chapter 7, what does James accuse Owen of doing?

3. What does Anand confide to James about Owen in Chapter 4?

4. What country is Volterra likely in, in Chapter 5?

5. What does James wish he could do at the end of the night in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What indication exists in Chapter 1 that relations are strained between James and Kathryn?

2. Describe the tiff that Charles Maitland and James have at the end of Chapter 7.

3. Describe the murder in Kouros.

4. Why are the Axtons separated?

5. How did James Axton begin working at Northeast Group?

6. What explanation of the language cult's motives does Vosdanik offer in Chapter 6?

7. How is Owen's connection to the cave people addressed in Chapter 4?

8. What is James and Kathryn's relationship with Volterra?

9. What story does Owen tell about a cave in Chapter 2?

10. How is Rowser's lifestyle strange given his position?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the marriage and separation of James and Kathryn Axton. How did their marriage affect each others individual life and goals? What state is the marriage in when the novel begins, and how did it reach this point? Discuss how Kathryn and James' personalities and lifestyles change after the separation. What idiosyncrasies are revealed as a result? What finally breaks the marriage apart for good, and how does the veneer of cordiality disappear as a result?

Essay Topic 2

In The Names, Don DeLillo sets up two mysteries that seem at one point to be connected. Write an essay discussing the reality behind both mysteries and how DeLillo juxtaposes them. Which two entities are aware of James Axton, and which one specifically attempts to harm him? What inclinations does he have that either of these entities is on to him? Which entity does Eliades belong to? How the reality behind either entity revealed in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Don DeLillo's novel deals with the notion of marriage in the latter half of the twentieth century by observing several married people dealing with issues of modern marriage. Write an essay about three such individuals. How does each individual feel about the marriage? How do they deal with the temptations involved in living abroad? How do these decisions affect the marriage? Discuss the state of the marriage at the end of the novel:

Part 1) James Axton

Part 2) Ann Maitland

Part 3) Janet Ruffing

(see the answer keys)

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