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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. How does the narrator convince himself to stay out with Tad instead of just going home?

2. When the narrator dances with a girl at the club, what does she reveal she has heard about his wife?

3. Who is the narrator talking with at the club?

4. What does the narrator see in the window of Saks?

5. After what duration of time did the narrator and Amanda move in together?

Short Essay Questions

1. Are Vicky and the narrator truly fond of Tad?

2. Why does the narrator purchase the knockoff Cartier watch on the street?

3. How does the narrator describe his mother's reaction to Amanda?

4. Does the narrator feel capable of understand other people's life experiences? Why or why not?

5. Why, after all the time that has passed, is the narrator still trying to track Amanda down?

6. Why does the narrator seem surprised by his situation?

7. Why does the narrator strike up a conversation with Marianne, the archivist?

8. What point of view does the author write in, and how is it distinguished?

9. How does the narrator's obsession with Coma Baby reflect on his own life?

10. How is the narrator out of place in the sports bar?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator constantly forgets about Megan--her soda, her bagel, and their lunch date.

1) Why do you think she slips through the cracks of his memory? Does his absentmindedness seem to bother her?

2) Examine the narrator's breakdown after he forgets her bagel. What excuse does he give her? What internal struggle is he having?

3) What are Megan's motives for inviting him over for dinner? Why is she so kind to him?

Essay Topic 2

What is the main tension between aspects of the narrator's life? Provide at least three textual examples of the narrator's struggle with this tension. Is he able to resolve it by the end of the novel? If not, is there hope for him to resolve it in the future? Will the narrator ever be able to grow up?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast Vicky and Amanda.

1) What are some of Amanda's qualities? How do they mesh with the narrator's when the two first met?

2) What are some of Vicky's qualities? How are they a match or a mismatch for the narrator?

3) Which relationship is more promising for the narrator---a reconciliation with Amanda or new chapter with Vicky? Which woman is more appropriate for him?

(see the answer keys)

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