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

2. What makes Karl feel better about the early hour at which he has to get up for his riding lessons?

3. What argument does Pollunder give to persuade Jakob to let Karl come for a visit?

4. Why does Pollunder drive down mostly side streets once they reach the suburbs?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. When the attendant tells the stoker to get out of the office, what does Karl do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. How does Green's intervention keep Karl from getting back to New York on the same night he left?

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

10. What claims does the stoker make against Schubal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does the innocence of wanderers such as Karl and Candide highlight about the nature of the world? In what sense is Karl a "transparent" character because of his innocence? How does this characteristic relate to the idea of the "missing person" mentioned in the book's full title? Write an essay in which you take and defend a position about the significance of Karl's innocence within the travel narrative form of Amerika. Establish and then discuss the significance of Karl's initial innocence, his ability--or inability--to learn from his experiences, and his eventual fate. Support your assertions with evidence from throughout the text, and if you consult outside sources, be sure to credit these in MLA format.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that compares and contrasts Amerika's relationship to the bildungsroman and to the picaresque. Does Kafka seem to intend to parody both? If yes, does he do so with equal clarity? Is his treatment of one tradition more respectful than the other? How does the echo of these traditions impact your understanding of the novel's meaning? Cite evidence from throughout the story as you defend your interpretation of how these two traditions are referenced in Amerika.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you create a continuum of Amerika's female characters--based on a single criterion of your choosing--and then explain what this ordering of the characters conveys about the role of women in this text. Include, at a minimum, the following characters in your discussion: Therese, Line, Klara, Johanna, Brunelda, and the head cook. Be sure to offer textual evidence to support your assertions.

(see the answer keys)

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