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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. At the hotel, what does Robinson blame his illness on?
(a) The polluted city air.
(b) Overly fancy food.
(c) Drinking too much.
(d) The journey from Bunelda's place.

2. What makes it so difficult for Karl to get a meal for himself and his companions at the Occidental Hotel?
(a) It is overwhelmingly crowded.
(b) He cannot find his money.
(c) It is a large hotel with a confusing layout.
(d) He is mistaken for waitstaff.

3. When asked by the head cook, what age does Karl claim to be?
(a) 21.
(b) 19.
(c) 15.
(d) 17.

4. What does Karl do on his weekly day off?
(a) Practices his English with Rennel.
(b) Plays cards with the other lift boys.
(c) Goes into the city and looks for other work.
(d) Spends time with Therese and the head cook.

5. What is the likely intended purpose of the scene with the coffeepot during the morning at the inn?
(a) It foreshadows Robinson and Delamarche's thievery.
(b) It is a comical portrayal of life in America.
(c) It contributes to the inn's eerie atmosphere.
(d) It reveals Karl's innocence and vulnerability.

Short Answer Questions

1. Regardless of which dress she has on, what other item of clothing does Brunelda usually wear?

2. From context clues, what can logically be inferred about what Brunelda's neighbor is studying?

3. What does Karl leave behind in the porter's lodge?

4. What does Karl decide is the way to satisfy Brunelda and Delamarche?

5. Why does Delamarche say that the neighborhood he is currently living in is ideal?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Karl's actions while he is fetching and serving breakfast demonstrate about his character?

2. When Karl is worried about the vomit in the light shaft being noticed, how do his thoughts foreshadow his eventual fate?

3. Describe Delamarche and Brunelda's relationship with their neighbors.

4. Describe Brunelda's personality.

5. What grudge does the head porter have against Karl, and how does it underscore the ridiculous labor conditions in the hotel?

6. How does the head cook try to soften the blow of Karl's dismissal?

7. What is ironic about Karl's actions with his trunk during the night he spends in the inn after leaving Pollunder's house?

8. What does Karl's first sight of Giacomo imply about working conditions in America?

9. What annoys Karl about finding the salami in his trunk in Chapter IV, "The March to Ramses," and what is the salami's eventual fate?

10. Explain how Karl ends up losing the photograph of his parents.

(see the answer keys)

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