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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. Which of the following is a borough of New York that Oskar determines he has never visited at the beginning of The Sixth Borough?

2. Why is Oskar particularly compelled by the renter when they meet in Alive and Alone?

3. Which best describes the location of the Sixth Borough?

4. Which of the following is not evidence cited by Thomas Schell, Jr. of these existence of the Sixth Borough?

5. How does Thomas react to Anna's new that she is pregnant in Why I'm Not Where You Are?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the sixth borough's drift affect a boy and girl in the story?

2. How does Thomas, Sr. discover he has a son in Why I'm Not where You Are?

3. What does Thomas learn immediately before the bombing of Dresden begins?

4. Why does the trip to Agnes Black's apartment stir Oskar's curiosity in Happiness, Happiness?

5. What does does Thomas tell his son about his and and his former wife's location at the beginning Why I'm Not Where You Are?

6. How does Oskar Schell meet Thomas, Sr. at the beginning of Alive and Alone?

7. What does Oskar tell Thomas, Sr. over the course of Alive and Alone?

8. How does Oskar overcome a phobia in Alive and Alone?

9. What does Dad relate about optimism to Oskar in the The Sixth Borough?

10. In A Simple Solution to an Impossible Problem, what does William Black reveal is the purpose of the key?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The three central characters of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close have all lost someone key to their lives and are painfully lost and isolated as a result. Write an essay about each of their isolation. What is missing from their lives since the loss? How do they deal with this pain on a day to day basis, and what emotions pervade as a result? Who attempts to reach out to them and how do they respond?

Part 1) Thomas Schell, Sr.

Part 2) Grandma.

Part 3) Oskar Schell.

Essay Topic 2

Oskar Schell is a fearful child, and his fears can fall into two camps that are real and imagined. Write an essay discussing these two types of fear and how they manifest themselves in the novel. For example, how do Dr. Fein and Jimmy represent a very real, concrete adversity to Oskar? What genuine concerns for his life do they present? Conversely, discuss the imagined dangers that haunt Oskar throughout the novel. From where do these fears derive and how do they affect his daily life?

Essay Topic 3

Oskar Schell is a character with a number of idiosyncrasies: collecting odd pictures, contacting famous scientists, and punching himself. Write an essay in which you choose three idiosyncrasies and analyze the root of their existence. What purpose do they serve in Oskar's daily life? How does he use them to fend off sadness, embarrassment, and fear? Do any of them appear to be inherited in some respect from his father? Sum up the essay by discussing what Oskar fears in the wake of his father's death and what he wants out of life, connecting these objectives to the character ticks that define him.

(see the answer keys)

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