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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. With whom does Oswald live in the Bronx?

2. What city does T-Jay call at the end of April 17th?

3. What is Guy Bannister's response to T-Jay Mackey's proposed operation?

4. What information does Win want revealed to the public as a result of the assassination attempt?

5. Whose wife is Beryl?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lee dream about doing while in New Orleans?

2. Describe the colorful conversation Bannister has at a bar on June 19th.

3. Why does Lee go to meet Dr. Braunfels in Atsugi?

4. How is Lee isolated in the first chapter of the novel?

5. What confidential information does Lee reveal to Konno in Atsugi?

6. Why is Parmenter especially angry about the Bay of Pigs debacle?

7. What does Lee read about in New Orleans?

8. What do Win, Parmenter, and Mackey discuss in 17 April?

9. What does Lee Oswald do on his base in Atsugi?

10. Why do Lee and Marguerite argue in New Orleans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about insanity and disassociation in Libra. What mechanisms does Lee Oswald use to assume false identities, and how does this allow him disassociate himself from his actions? Discuss how Lee's view of the world becomes skewed. What delusions does he desperately hold on to? What false patterns does he begin to see in everyday life, and how does this fuel his willingness to kill Kennedy?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the duel narrative structure of Libra. What story does each narrative tell, and where do they connect? Who is the protagonist of each? Discuss how having two narratives allows DeLillo to discuss Oswald and the conspiracy evenly? Which narrative seems more focused and driven? Why?

Essay Topic 3

The character of Lee Oswald in Libra is an ambiguous figure, one whose loyalty is never clear as he moves from place to place and relationship to relationship. Write a three-part essay analyzing the shifting loyalties Oswald illustrates throughout the novel:

Part 1) Discuss Oswald's defection to the Soviet Union. At what point in his life does he decide that he should live in a Communist country? How does Soviet society appeal to Lee Oswald, and why does he eventually decide to return to the United States?

Part 2) What is Lee Oswald's life like in New Orleans. Why does he become friends with right wingers life Bannister and Ferrie despite his leftist leanings? Discuss his reasons for working in Bannister's office and why these conservative players tolerate his pro-Castro literature.

Part 3) Discuss the mindset that Oswald displays as he waits in his jail cell following Kennedy's murder. How does he rationalize his participation in the murder plot? What defense does he think he can present to authorities? How does this represent a fractured psyche?

(see the answer keys)

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