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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. During the first meeting of Hannah and the author, she explains what term to him that "he'd never heard" (68)?

2. When the author reaches the bar in Dumbo, what is hanging outside the bar in lieu of a sign?

3. The morning of the author's planned blind date with Hannah, he calls which character to ask for company on the day of his medical procedure?

4. On what day of the week is the author scheduled to have a medical procedure done?

5. The reader is reminded that the unnamed narrator chose to use the name Liza to represent Alex due to what reason?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Natali and Bernard's accomplishments in the literary world.

2. Why does the unnamed narrator refer to a particular scene in Part One as having "faded from the photograph" (24)?

3. In what location does Alex ask the unnamed narrator to provide the sperm that will create her child and what is significant about her lack of eye contact in this moment?

4. Provide an example when Lerner's role as a poet becomes apparent through his use of sensory details.

5. What event have the unnamed narrator and his agent just been celebrating when the novel opens, and why is the occasion bittersweet for the unnamed narrator?

6. Discuss an instance when Lerner uses a simile to provide a vivid image of the setting in "The Golden Vanity."

7. What medical procedure does the author require and why?

8. What event does the author recall at the end of the story "The Golden Vanity," causing him to conclude that the event had never happened?

9. What is the main difference between the unnamed narrator of 10:04 and the character in the unnamed narrator's novel he calls "the author" (61)?

10. For what reason is the author so conflicted about the choice "between twilight sedation and local anesthesia" (62)?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What messages does Lerner send to the reader of 10:04 about the themes of isolation and outreach?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Lerner’s use of the motif of sound within the novel 10:04.

Essay Topic 3

How is the theme of family bonds portrayed in 10:04? Examine Lerner's treatment of and messages regarding family bonds throughout the work.

(see the answer keys)

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