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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 is one subject that the narrator and his mother talk about?

2. Who is waiting at the narrator's apartment when he comes back from lunch?

3. What name does the narrator give to the greeter?

4. Why does the narrator think he reacted so badly to Amanda's departure?

5. What does the phone call entail?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the narrator leap out of the limo to escape his conversation with Bernie, the drug lord?

2. What does Michael theorize may have spurred the narrator to marry Amanda?

3. What is the narrator's reaction when he sees his brother waiting on the stoop?

4. Explain Vicky's concept of "ineffability."

5. Why is it ironic that the narrator snorts cocaine behind the library?

6. Why is a home-cooked meal such a novelty for the narrator?

7. Why does the narrator call Vicky after the party?

8. Why does Megan invite the narrator to dinner at her apartment?

9. What does the narrator remember the most about Amanda, though he cannot remember what she looks like?

10. What kind of relationship did the narrator have with his mother?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator and Amanda were obviously mismatched.

1) How is the narrator's love of fiction detrimental to his relationship with Amanda?

2) What fantasies do the narrator and Amanda make of each other?

3) Though Amanda is portrayed as the shallower character, she is the one to end their fantasy. What does this imply about Amanda?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the narrator's elitism.

1) How has the narrator's love of fiction contributed to this elitism? Why does he feel he must alter the truth about his job to strangers?

2) Why is the narrator so concerned with being "in" rather than "out"? How much of this fear drives his friendship with Tad Allagash?

3) Could his need to be one of the elite have contributed to his relationship with Amanda? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Each chapter of the book has a distinct, often witty and ironic, title. Choose three titles and discuss their relevance to the chapter of the book. Be sure to use quotations, as the chapter's title is often repeated in different instances in the chapter. Take into account the novel's title--how is the theme "Bright Lights, Big City" repeated throughout the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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