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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 Chapter 25 take place?

2. What does the narrator say Cusk is avoiding in Chapter 27?

3. What happens when David sits next to Cusk on the IRS van?

4. Who interrupts Lane Dean's work in Chapter 33?

5. How does Sylvanshine describe examinations to Reynolds in Chapter 30?

Short Essay Questions

1. What task is the narrator given by Gary Manshardt in Chapter 35?

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

3. Why does Sylvanshine talk to Reynolds over the phone in Chapter 30?

4. What are IRS phantoms?

5. In Chapter 22, why does David take a long time getting to the train?

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

7. Why is Lehrl's office so important to Reynolds in Chapter 30?

8. What concerns Lane Dean Jr. most about the work he does in Chapter 33?

9. How do IRS workers know of the phantoms?

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 role of women in this novel. While most of the IRS employees are men, there are a few women characters who play major roles in the novel. How do women influence the development of the major themes? How do the women interact with the IRS? What influence does this have? In what ways do women exist outside of, and independent of, the IRS?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the theme of success in this novel. What things make people successful? What things impede success? What is the overall message about success in this novel?

(see the answer keys)

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