Seize the Day Test | Mid-Book Test - Hard

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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 Wilhelm think of Mr. Perls?

2. What does Wilhelm eat after Mr. Perls leaves?

3. Who does Dr. Adler always boast about to his friends?

4. What does Margaret want Wilhelm to pay for in regard to their sons?

5. Why does Wilhelm trust Tamkin?

Short Essay Questions

1. When does Wilhelm use the car he parks on the street in the city? Where does he go?

2. How is Dr. Adler's life story different from Wilhelm's?

3. Name some of Wilhelm's bad habits that his father cannot stand.

4. What particular feature of Tamkin does Wilhelm constantly refer to in Chapter 4? And how do they change throughout the chapter?

5. What happens in Chapter 7 when Wilhelm goes to see his father in the spa?

6. Dr. Adler says to Wilhelm, "It doesn't enter your mind that when I die--a year, two years from now--you'll still be here." What does he mean to say and what impression does he give Wilhelm instead?

7. What does Wilhelm notice about Tamkin's clothes in Chapter 5?

8. According to Wilhelm in Chapter 6, why won't Margaret marry again?

9. Tamkin and Wilhelm are equal partners, but Tamkin invested less than Wilhelm. What does Wilhelm think about how Tamkin might use this to his advantage?

10. In Chapter 4, Tamkin tells Wilhelm, "Facts always are sensational. I'll say that a second time. Facts always! are sensational!" What is his purpose for making that statement?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Point of view has such a presence in the book that it is almost another character.

Part 1) What point of view does the narrator use in the book? Why is it significant?

Part 2) How does this point of view affect our perception of Wilhelm as a character? Why?

Part 3) How would the book be different if told from a different point of view?

Essay Topic 2

Alienation is a motif we see most readily in Wilhelm. He has alienated himself from family, friends, and the world in general.

Part 1) Are there other characters in the book who are also alienated? Which ones? Why would you categorize them as alienated?

Part 2) How does Tamkin take advantage of alienation to serve his own purpose with Wilhelm? Cite specific examples from the text.

Part 3) Would you consider Tamkin to also be alienated? Why or why not? How does this impact the other characters in the story?

Essay Topic 3

In the first chapter, Wilhelm recalls a line of poetry from a college textbook: "Sunk though he be beneath the wat'ry floor..."

Part 1) What do you think this means in the context of the original poem? How does it relate specifically to Wilhelm?

Part 2) This concept of water and sinking reappears throughout the rest of the book. Cite at least 3 examples where this metaphor is used.

Part 3) Why does Wilhelm constantly go back to this line? Why is he so drawn to it?

(see the answer keys)

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