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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Besides the letter and his trunk, what else does Pollunder give Karl?
(a) A business card.
(b) A pen.
(c) A cap.
(d) Money.

2. How does Karl almost fall from a window at the Pollunder house?
(a) He leans out to hear a train.
(b) Klara pushes him.
(c) He leans out to see a bird.
(d) He loses his way in a dark hallway.

3. Although Karl thinks that Jakob indulges him generously, what does the narrative imply is true about Jakob's behavior toward Karl?
(a) Jakob is stern with Karl because he sees Karl's potential.
(b) Jakob is needlessly distant and controlling toward Karl.
(c) Jakob is using Karl to heal the rift between himself and Karl's mother.
(d) Jakob intends to make Karl a partner in his buisness.

4. When Karl imagines that his visit to the Pollunders might become "the turning point in his relationship with his uncle," what techniques are being used (57)?
(a) Foreshadowing and irony.
(b) Juxtaposition and paradox.
(c) Paradox and foreshadowing.
(d) Irony and juxtaposition.

5. When Karl returns to his uncle's office after gathering his things for the visit, what causes him to think his uncle is angry?
(a) His uncle's face is red, as if he has been shouting.
(b) His uncle does not look him in the eye.
(c) His uncle has already left the room.
(d) His uncle is tapping his hands against his knees repeatedly.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Jakob find out about why Karl was sent to the United States?

2. What does Jakob ask Karl if he has cancelled in preparation for his visit to Pollunder's?

3. What question does the man with the bamboo stick ask Karl?

4. What makes Karl uncomfortable about the building his uncle lives in?

5. How does Karl's mood change during dinner at the Pollunder's house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What unexpected news does Klara give her father when he and Karl arrive at the Pollunder home, and how does Pollunder react?

2. Why is Karl so exhausted when the story opens?

3. In what way is Karl's experience in the Pollunder house similar to his experience onboard the ship?

4. What details portray the women in the ship's kitchen as boldly flirtatious?

5. Explain how Karl's inability to keep track of his possessions causes complications in "The Stoker."

6. What does Karl imagine about his parents when he is in the office with the stoker?

7. What does the letter from Jakob to Karl say?

8. How does Karl spend his time during his first weeks in New York?

9. Describe the building in which Karl finds himself living with his uncle in New York.

10. What bizarre interaction does Karl have with Klara after dinner?

(see the answer keys)

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