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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 rule does Karl find out he has violated when he returns to his lift after escorting Robinson to the dormitory?

2. What prevents Karl from escaping when he is sent inside to prepare Brunelda's bed for the night?

3. Where does the head cook have Karl's luggage sent?

4. Where does Brunelda say that Karl can sleep when he first arrives at the apartment?

5. What kind offer of the head cook's does Karl turn down on his first morning at the hotel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Robinson end up in Rennel's bed in the dormitory?

2. What convinces Karl to stay at Brunelda's apartment even after Delamarche assaults him?

3. Describe the interior of Brunelda's apartment.

4. How does Karl try to improve his position in life while he is at the Occidental Hotel?

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

6. How does Karl meet Robinson and Delamarche?

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

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

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

10. What does Karl learn from Robinson about Brunelda's marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Write a paragraph that explains the relationship between Karl's journey through America and the descriptions of the major locations that he visits. Consider the locations' sizes, their labyrinthine nature, and the frequent references to stairs, elevators, and balconies. Consider the atmospheres of these locations and how they change over the course of the narrative. Make sure that you do more than describe the various settings and their details: the goal of your essay should be to tie these textual details to the progress of Karl's journey and the overall meaning of the novel.

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