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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. Who accompanies Oedipa and Metzger to Fangoso Lagoons for the day?

2. What is the name of Oedipa's lawyer?

3. What is the name of the town where Oedipa and Mucho live?

4. What does Oedipa ask questions about in order to play the game with Metzger?

5. Who is Metzger?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Mike Fallopian trying to prove in his history of private mail delivery in the U.S.?

2. Describe the manager of the Echo Courts Motel.

3. What was strange about Pierce Inverarity's call to Oedipa a year ago?

4. Why is Di Presso hiding in a boat at Fangoso Lagoons to avoid his client?

5. According to Mike Fallopian, what eventually happened to Peter Pinguid?

6. How can electronic music be performed live at The Scope bar?

7. What does Oedipa mean in Chapter 1 when she tells Dr. Hilarius that she is already having hallucinations?

8. Why is the introduction of the Yoyodyne mail deliverer at The Scope important to the plot of The Crying of Lot 49?

9. As she is losing the game of Strip Botticelli, what does Oedipa remove first?

10. What does Oedipa do in the bathroom of the Echo Courts motel room prior to playing a game with Metzger?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the myth of Echo and Narcissus? How is it represented in the setting, characters and themes of The Crying of Lot 49?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the overall theme of the breakdown of communication on the societal level. How was it symbolized and explored throughout the novel? Compare this to how communication breaks down on a personal level for Oedipa.

Essay Topic 3

Fate is a dominant theme in The Crying of Lot 49. 1) Discuss this theme throughout the novel. 2) How is Oedipa trying to find out the fate of America, not just her own fate?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 550 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample