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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 Chapter 9, what year does the author say it is?

2. How does Lowtis feel in Chapter 20?

3. What type of psychic is Claude?

4. In Chapter 10, who justifies the role of large organizations?

5. In the beginning Chapter 6, how old is Dean?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 9, what does the author say is wrong with his publisher?

2. How does Stecyk change from Chapter 12 to Chapter 14?

3. Why does Dean marry Sheri in Chapter 6?

4. What is the purpose of Chapter 11?

5. In Chapter 13, why does the main character pay attention to the way he sits?

6. While describing Stecyk in Chapter 12, what does the narrator comment on about the boy's future?

7. How do the girl and her mother get away in Chapter 8?

8. Why does Wallace have to watch the interviews in Chapter 14?

9. In Chapter 16, what does Lane Dean Jr.'s character reveal about the work of the IRS?

10. Why does the author talk about the dullness of the IRS in Chapter 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the use of symbolism in "The Pale King". Consider the significant jobs in the IRS REC, the IRS van, the pre-employment house and other important objects.

Essay Topic 2

How does the author create setting throughout this novel? How does the IRS become a driving force behind the creation of setting? What makes the setting of this novel important to the novel as a whole?

Essay Topic 3

How do characters remain the same as they age? How do they change? Compare and contrast the characters who change vs. those who remain the same. What message does this deliver about childhood and the transition into adulthood?

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