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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. What makes Karl uncomfortable about the building his uncle lives in?
(a) The way sound echoes.
(b) The other tenants.
(c) It is made of steel.
(d) All of the large windows.

2. What happens as Karl steps out onto the stairs leading into the smaller boat that will take him to shore?
(a) He bursts into tears.
(b) He sees a drowned rat.
(c) He shouts with joy.
(d) He stumbles and almost falls.

3. Which detail most clearly supports the idea that the stoker is nervous about going to the office?
(a) The way he grabs Karl's hand to pull him out the door.
(b) His remarks to Line in the kitchen.
(c) The picture he takes from the wall and puts in his pocket.
(d) His attempt to kick the rat in the corridor.

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) Juxtaposition and paradox.
(b) Irony and juxtaposition.
(c) Paradox and foreshadowing.
(d) Foreshadowing and irony.

5. Who is the author of Amerika?
(a) Günter Grass.
(b) Thomas Mann.
(c) Hermann Hesse.
(d) Franz Kafka.

Short Answer Questions

1. At what time of day do Karl's English lessons occur?

2. How many offices does Jakob keep in the building he lives in?

3. When Karl tries to use some New York expressions during dinner with Green and Pollunder, what is their response?

4. In the story's opening, what does Karl realize he has left below deck?

5. When Karl is wandering through the vast Pollunder house, what is he reminded of?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why is Karl on the ship?

3. How does Karl's uncle happen to be present on the ship that Karl sailed on?

4. What is so fascinating to Karl about the desk in his room?

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

6. What claims does the stoker make against Schubal?

7. How does Schubal's manner when he enters the office tend to support the bursar's version of events?

8. What analogy does Jakob draw between Karl and a newborn baby?

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

10. What conclusions has Karl already come to about America when the second chapter opens, and why?

(see the answer keys)

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