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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. Why is the landlady so reluctant to give Karl and Robinson breakfast to take back to the apartment?

2. What makes it so difficult for Karl to get a meal for himself and his companions at the Occidental Hotel?

3. What does Therese confide in Karl that she asks him to keep secret from the head cook?

4. What lie does Robinson tell the police officer?

5. What is Karl eating at the end of Chapter V, "At the Occidental Hotel"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Karl have a hard time sleeping when he is living at the Occidental Hotel?

3. What shared background do Karl and the head cook discover they have?

4. Describe Brunelda's personality.

5. Describe Robinson's appearance at the Occidental Hotel in Chapter VI, "The Robinson Affair."

6. When Karl is looking through his trunk, what does he realize about the cap he is wearing?

7. How does Therese's backstory support the idea that life for immigrants in America is difficult and somewhat dependent on sheer luck?

8. What other locations is the description of the suburban Ramses apartment building meant to evoke, and what is the similarity between these locations?

9. Describe Karl's encounter with the policeman in the Ramses suburbs.

10. Describe the interior of Brunelda's apartment.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do the ambiguities in Karl's character support the novel's theme? Write a pro-con essay that explains more than one way to interpret Karl's character. Develop each potential characterization with evidence from the novel. Conclude your essay with an explanation of how these differing interpretations can both be correct and why this ambiguity actually supports the novel's meaning.

Essay Topic 2

Do some online research to find out about the various titles that Kafka suggested for his novel before, apparently, settling on Der Verschollene. Then, consider what Brod was aiming for by titling the novel Amerika: The Missing Person and what impact it has when publishers shorten the title to simply Amerika. What do these various iterations of the title each imply? Write an essay in which you establish which title--Kafka's or Brod's--is more in keeping with the novel's thematic content. Support your assertions with evidence from the text, and cite any outside sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write a pro-con essay that evaluates the critical contention that Amerika is a critique of American capitalism. Research critical arguments in favor of this interpretation as well as arguments that contest this interpretation. Provide evidence from the novel to support each side and then come to a conclusion about which side has more merit, and why. Cite your sources in MLA format.

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