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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. How much is the royalty check that Lonoff receives in Chapter 4?

2. What does Hope say Lonoff loves in Chapter 4?

3. What does Lonoff think he does too much of in Chapter 4?

4. What is Hope carrying when she comes down the stairs?

5. At breakfast, Nathan references Henry James' line, "the consequences of his" what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why can Zuckerman no longer think of Amy as herself in Chapter 4?

2. What does Zuckerman imagine saying to his family as he sits at breakfast with Amy and the Lonoffs?

3. Why does Amy want a room with a telephone?

4. What does Amy realize when she hears the woman say "Oh, no" in the theater?

5. How does Amy obtain a copy of "Het Achterhuis?"

6. Why does Lonoff say he threw out an old razor blade that morning in Chapter 4?

7. What does Amy believe she has the power to teach through the diary, if she remains dead to everyone?

8. Zuckerman notices that Lonoff has also changed at breakfast. To what does Zuckerman attribute the change in Lonoff and Hope?

9. Why does Amy make marks in her copy of Anne Frank's diary?

10. How does the diary come to be published?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Roth writes "The Ghost Writer" in first person with Zuckerman as the narrator. Write a response explaining why it is important that the story is presented in first person. What does this point of view allow the reader to know about the story's plot? What does a first-person point of view deny the reader? Use specific references to the story in the response.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout "The Ghost Writer," Roth explores the theme and idea of needing inspiration to create art. Write a response exploring this theme in the story. Which characters are looking for inspiration to create their art? Which characters and events serve as inspiration for this art? Use specific references to the story in the response.

Essay Topic 3

Underlying themes in "The Ghost Writer" are the roles and "confusion" of fact and fiction. Write a response explaining how fact and fiction are confused and misinterpreted in the story. What elements of fiction are presented as fact? What elements are presented as fiction, but are indeed facts? Use specific references to the text in the response.

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