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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. What is Claude's surname?

2. What item of Dorian's clothing does Ignatius ruin?

3. What does Myrna ask Ignatius to describe?

4. Who does Mancuso place under arrest?

5. What does George do with the newspaper article?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Annie react to the newspaper article?

2. What is Dr. Talc's reaction to seeing the newspaper article?

3. What is Ignatius' opinion on psychiatry?

4. Why do Claude and Santa think Irene should put Ignatius in a charity hospital?

5. What does Dorain say about his life and family in Chapter 12?

6. What complaints does Clyde have about Ignatius' work in Chapter 9?

7. Summarize Chapter 9.

8. Why does Ignatius think the Ladies' Auxiliary will be an important addition to his movement?

9. How do the characters react to Claude's aggression towards Mancuso in Chapter 8?

10. Why does Ignatius want to create a political party centered around old sodomites?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look at the novel's characterization. How well drawn do you think Toole's characters are? Select one of the minor characters such as Claude and discuss how much you know about his background. In what ways does Toole provide the reader with information about that character?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the Consolation of Philosophy to the novel. What comparisons can be drawn between A Confederacy of Dunces and the Consolation of Philosophy? Why do they think Ignatius uses Boethius' as a reference point?

Essay Topic 3

Look at Communism in the sixties. What were people's views on Communism? Was there a Communist party in America? Was there any Communist literature? How was communism presented in the arts? Why was it represented in this way? Has this representation affected the way people think about Communism today?

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