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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. Why does Stecyk appear trustworthy in Chapter 12?

2. In Chapter 15, how are Claude's psychic moments described?

3. What is revealed to be a joke in Chapter 14?

4. How is Chapter 11 constructed?

5. How old is the man in Chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Wallace have to watch the interviews in Chapter 14?

2. How does Stecyk change from Chapter 12 to Chapter 14?

3. While describing Stecyk in Chapter 12, what does the narrator comment on about the boy's future?

4. How is Claude's psychic ability described in Chapter 15?

5. Why does the author talk about the dullness of the IRS in Chapter 9?

6. In Chapter 16, what does Lane Dean Jr.'s character reveal about the work of the IRS?

7. Why does the author claim this novel is memoir in Chapter 9?

8. In Chapter 19, what seems to be the favored solution to what is wrong with America?

9. In Chapter 13, why does the main character pay attention to the way he sits?

10. What makes Claude happy in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of interview in "The Pale King"? Consider the interviews conducted with tax payers, IRS employees and people wishing to become IRS employees. What message is conveyed about the interviewing process?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the purpose and role of supernatural powers in this novel. How are psychic abilities used in the novel? How are phantoms used?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the use of post-modernism techniques. Consider the unique text layouts, formats, footnotes, columns, interviews, etc. How do these textual features affect the development of this novel?

(see the answer keys)

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