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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 error does The Narrator note about Kilgore that he should change, but will not because it would be too complicated?

2. What does The Narrator convince Kilgore of when he meets him face to face?

3. Who tries to intervene in Dwayne's beating and also gets a finger bitten off?

4. Who does Dwayne beat when he reaches the car dealership?

5. What does the person who recognizes Kilgore at the hotel claim he has returned from?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Wayne and the reader similar to one another in Chapter 19?

2. Why does the sight of The Narrator in the hotel Lobby make Kilgore nervous?

3. What does Dwayne do when he fails to punch Wayne outside of the hotel?

4. What causes Kilgore to get out of the car and start walking toward Midland City and his fateful meeting with Dwayne?

5. What does The Narrator say about himself, Kilgore and Dwayne once they are all in the hotel lounge?

6. Why does Patty Keene flirt with Dwayne while she serves him hamburgers?

7. What is the parallel between Dwayne's irrelevant phrases and the narrative?

8. In Now It Can Be Told, what is the main difference between the creator of the universe and the reader?

9. What is the connection between Dwayne's house and the stream of pollution that Kilgore wades through?

10. What does The Narrator convince Kilgore of at the end of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The two main protagonists of Breakfast of Champions, Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover, have had tumultuous relationships throughout their lives beginning in childhood and moving on into their adulthood. Assess the two characters, based on their relationships with others, and conclude whether they are, in fact, similar to one another or foils.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, numerous coincidences are mentioned linking characters, places and events. Describe several of these coincidences and argue whether they are significant to the narrative, or trivial. How do they affect the narrative? How do they affect characters? Do they not affect anything at all? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

How is Wayne looking at the people in the hotel lounge through the kitchen's peephole in Chapter 19 similar to exactly what the reader is doing with Breakfast of Champions? What are the events Wayne is watching? What is their significance? Insignificance? Support your answer with specific examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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