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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. Where does Cusk run off to during a break in Chapter 27?

2. What does David see Stecyk do at the end of Chapter 24?

3. Who are the main characters of Chapter 31?

4. In Chapter 30, where does Sylvanshine get the facts from that he shares with Reynolds?

5. In Chapter 28, what does the narrator assume all IRS agents want?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does David feel he wasted his youth in Chapter 22?

2. What is the relationship between the Peoria REC and Martinsburg?

3. In Chapter 27, what worries Cusk most about his training?

4. How do IRS workers know of the phantoms?

5. In Chapter 27, what reason is given for possibly not conducting an audit?

6. In Chapter 27, why is the word "profitable" not used officially?

7. What are IRS phantoms?

8. What happens with the lawsuits that follow David's father's death?

9. In Chapter 27, what surprises Cusk when he returns from his break?

10. How does David feel while Ms. Neti-Neti leads him into the IRS REC?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do characters remain the same as they age? How do they change? Compare and contrast the characters who change vs. those who remain the same. What message does this deliver about childhood and the transition into adulthood?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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