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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. On the day the unnamed narrator ventures out to the Marfa Book Company, he has "gone more than" how many "weeks without really speaking to anyone" (175)?

2. What is the name of the single book the unnamed narrator brings along with him for his residency in Texas?

3. In what field does Alena's friend Peter work?

4. When the unnamed narrator returns to hear the rest of Noor's story, how many minutes must he wait while everyone else stops listening?

5. The unnamed narrator states in Part Four that he must have absolute quiet to engage in which activity?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what purpose does the unnamed narrator visit the seventh floor of New-York Presbyterian Hospital at the beginning of Part Three?

2. What is "totaled art" (130) and how had Alena acquired some of it prior to the novel's opening?

3. What is the only low point in the adventure Roberto and the unnamed narrator go on together in Part Three?

4. How does Lerner use irony to portray the scene of the party depicted in Part Four?

5. In what way does the unnamed narrator set up a dichotomy between the art of the "readymade" (133) and the totaled art in Alena's institute?

6. How does the unnamed narrator's usual routine change during his writers' residency?

7. The unnamed narrator finds himself working diligently in Texas, but "on the wrong thing" (170). What other piece does he work on instead?

8. What is the unnamed narrator's specific reason for feeling the way he does about the totaled art?

9. Who is Michael and how does the unnamed narrator meet him?

10. How does the theme of identity arise within the story about her family Noor relates to the unnamed narrator in Part Three?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Lerner’s novel 10:04. What message is Lerner sending about these two themes over the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

In what way does Lerner utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within 10:04 and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

Essay Topic 3

In what way does Lerner go about breaking the text into parts and how do these structural elements help to influence the reader's experience with the text?

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