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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 kind of music does Bukowski think about in Notes of a Potential Suicide?

2. What does Bukowski discover in A Bad Trip?

3. What does Bukowski think the young men in The Big Pot Game do with the language they copy?

4. Why does Gordon marry Carol?

5. Why does Bukowski take his car to the mechanic in A Rain of Women?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the older men contrast with the younger ones in The Big Pot Game?

2. How do the boys disrespect the memories of the hepcats in The Big Pot Game?

3. How does Bukowski feel next to Jim in I Shot a Man in Reno?

4. What else does Bukowski realize about himself when he sees Luke in I Shot a Man in Reno?

5. Why does Bukowski think that current poets and comic strips create their art the way they do?

6. What do Bukowski's visitors take away from him in A Popular Man?

7. Who is causing all the noise with the car horn in Night Streets of Madness, and why?

8. Why does Bukowski usually avoid talking about literature, and what reminds him of of this in Beer and Poets and Talk?

9. What does Bukowski think of citizens today in A Bad Trip?

10. What happens when Bukowski is discovered with Mary in Purple as an Iris?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Rape! Rape!" is a story in which human and animalistic traits run rampant. How do the characters exhibit animalistic behaviors? When does the human trait of lying appear, and how does it appear? Why does Bukowski become so confused after Vera lies? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

Essay Topic 2

"An Evil Town" displays many acts of filth or "evil" with one seemingly righteous character seeing it all. Does Frank Evans turn out to be as righteous as he seems? Why or why not? Which act of hypocrisy is the strongest? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

Essay Topic 3

Many stories in "Tales of Ordinary Madness" involve a serious addiction to gambling. Using at least two stories as examples, describe how gambling play a role in the main characters' lives. Describe the cycle of addiction. How does gambling affect the characters' lives? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the stories.

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