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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 Ambrose know he will teach his son?

2. Why did Peter leave the game of Niggers and Masters that he, Ambrose, and Magda were playing?

3. What nickname does Magda use for Ambrose?

4. Where is the imaginary torture chamber to which Magda took Ambrose?

5. What does Ambrose wonder about himself when he thinks of scouting?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one reason the narrator says exists for not writing a lost-in-the-fun-house story?

2. What does Ambrose imagine about his son and what he might say to the boy?

3. What does an elderly man say to Ambrose about how to enter the Funhouse?

4. How does Magda react to Ambrose taking her arm, and what does he want to tell her?

5. What is Ambrose’s father doing while Ambrose is in the Funhouse?

6. Why are the prizes different on the broken machines at the arcade?

7. What does Ambrose see in his imagination about married life?

8. What does the narrator say a Freitag’s Triangle is?

9. Why does Ambrose think people don’t know what to make of him?

10. What is a traditional game the family plays when approaching the midway point, and what is the prize for the winner?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Humor and jokes are imbedded throughout the text of Lost in the Funhouse. Discuss how Barth uses humor to offset the depression and loneliness that actually pervades Ambrose’s thoughts. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Identify the protagonists of the story and why you believe they are such? Identify the antagonists of the story and why you believe they are such? Which secondary characters have the greatest impact on the plot? Which, if any, characters are not essential to the story? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Many readers of fiction place themselves in the position of one character, wondering if they would do the same thing as that character.

Do you think one of the values of literature is to serve as a reflection of oneself? Why or why not? How can reading a short story such as Lost in the Funhouse help a reader to know him/herself? Do you find yourself reflecting on your own character and abilities when reading Lost in the Funhouse?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 754 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample