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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 Colin do for the first time since he and Katherine XIX broke up?

2. Where are Colin's parents when they are first mentioned?

3. Where do Colin and Hassan stop to sleep?

4. What does Hassan do after waking?

5. What does Colin say genius is?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Hassan seem to think that Colin's problem is spiritual?

2. What do Hassan and Colin discuss concerning prodigies and geniuses?

3. How does Colin respond to what his father tells him when Colin gets out of the shower?

4. What happened when Colin's parents enroll him in a pre-school?

5. Who is waiting for Colin when he gets out of the shower and what do they tell Colin?

6. What does Hassan do in order to be able to go back to the Hollis home earlier than they are supposed to?

7. What do all of Colin's former girlfriends have in common besides having dated Colin?

8. What does Colin remember about himself when he was 25 months old?

9. What does Hassan propose to Colin's parents and what do they reply?

10. Whose grave is advertised when Colin and Hassan decide to exit off the interstate?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"An Abundance of Katherines" belongs to the young adult novel genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the young adult novel genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a young adult novel and a historical novel or mystery?

Essay Topic 2

1. What is foreshadowing? How many incidences of foreshadowing are in "An Abundance of Katherines"? How does foreshadowing contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadowing in "An Abundance of Katherines" including why you believe it is foreshadowing. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "An Abundance of Katherines" and your own live to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

Titles often play a vital role in making a person decide to read a particular book. Discuss the following:

1. Fully explain why you think "An Abundance of Katherines" is titled as such. Do you think it is the best title for the book? Why or why not? Can you think of a better title? Why would you choose it?

2. How important is a title in influencing you to consider reading a book? Explain your answer.

3. Do you think a title needs to have direct relevance to a book's content? Explain your answer.

4. Have you ever read a book that when you finished, you do not understand the relevance of the title? Does it discourage you from "trusting" that particular author again?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 835 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample