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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. What job did Therese perform so well that she caught the head cook's attention and was offered the job of secretary?
2. At the hotel, what does Robinson blame his illness on?
3. What geographic error is introduced when the three men turn to look back at New York City?
4. What does it mean that the head waiter has a "choleric" temperament?
5. What is the cause of the crowd gathering in the street outside the apartment on the first night that Karl spends there?
Short Essay Questions
1. What other locations is the description of the suburban Ramses apartment building meant to evoke, and what is the similarity between these locations?
2. Describe the interior of Brunelda's apartment.
3. What is ironic about Karl's actions with his trunk during the night he spends in the inn after leaving Pollunder's house?
4. How does Karl end up having a conversation with Therese in his room on his first night at the Occidental Hotel?
5. Describe Brunelda's personality.
6. 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?
7. What does Karl's first sight of Giacomo imply about working conditions in America?
8. How does the head cook try to soften the blow of Karl's dismissal?
9. How does Therese's backstory support the idea that life for immigrants in America is difficult and somewhat dependent on sheer luck?
10. Why does Karl have a hard time sleeping when he is living at the Occidental Hotel?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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.
Essay Topic 2
Psychoanalyst and critic Jacques Lacan said that sometimes a distortion can present psychological truth more fully than a factually accurate depiction. How does this insight apply to Kafka's use of the grotesque in Amerika? Write an essay that explores Lacan's idea and then demonstrates how it applies to Kafka's use of the grotesque. Supply supporting evidence from throughout the novel, and cite any outside sources in MLA format.
Essay Topic 3
How do ambiguity and the grotesque work together to create atmosphere and mood in Amerika, and how do these effects contribute to the novel's overall meaning? What patterns of detail and language work together to create a sense of ambiguity? What patterns of detail and language work together to create a sense of the grotesque? In combination, what specific atmosphere and mood do ambiguity and the grotesque create in this novel? How do atmosphere and mood support a theme or themes in Amerika? Be sure to support your claims with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from the text.
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This section contains 1,174 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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