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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. At the beginning of Chapter 1, what two words does the narrator say the book will show the difference between?

2. According to the narrator, which element would not be found in a chemistry class?

3. What does Violet do the morning after Gunther arrives to help her think?

4. According to the narrator, what does a nefarious disguise mean?

5. What is missing on the orphans' new street?

Short Essay Questions

1. What role does the scene at Café Salmonella play in the overall plot of the story?

2. What is the importance of the Baudelaire orphans' new guardians being named Squalor?

3. What is symbolic of Jerome sliding down the stairs and his laughter growing fainter the further he descends?

4. What does the Squalor's apartment say about their lives and their character?

5. Why is it important to know that Jerome Squalor could have adopted the Baudelaire children earlier but did not because orphans were not "in"?

6. What is revealed about Esme's character when she says, "Quickly, before anybody sees that this apartment is still dark!"

7. Why don't Esme and Jerome Squalor believe the children that Gunther is really Count Olaf?

8. How does the author illustrate the differences between Esme and Jerome Squalor?

9. What does the narrator mean when he states "...like caramel candy, strawberry yogurt, and liquid carpet cleaner, if you eat too much of it you are not going to enjoy your meal"?

10. Why does Esme reject her husband's idea to give the In Auction money to a good cause?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the genre of "The Ersatz Elevator"? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

The title of this novel is "The Ersatz Elevator." Explain how the symbol and literal use of the elevator is presented and supported throughout the novel. In what scenes/actions does the elevator become both symbolic and useful? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

What is the symbolism of the Squalors? Explain how the author uses Esme's crazy demands and actions to reveal aspects of her character and aspects of her husband's character, Jerome. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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