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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. For how long was Peter kept locked up as a child?

2. What year did Henry Dark predict the Tower of Babel would return?

3. What is Peter Stillman's demeanor when Quinn first meets him?

4. Who does Quinn first think of when he reflects upon Peter Stillman's mental and physical situation?

5. What is the first thing Quinn writes in his notebook?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Quinn's opinion of the young woman he spots reading his book while at the train station?

2. What does Stillman's notebook look like?

3. Why does Quinn choose to leave the library without recording any information in his notebook?

4. What does Peter Stillman look like?

5. How was Peter Stillman finally discovered and freed from his confinement when he was young?

6. How does Paul Auster treat Quinn when they first meet?

7. What is significant about the images Quinn draws in his notebook in Chapter 8?

8. Why does Peter wish to be "real" and not a puppet boy?

9. Why does Quinn throw his clothes down the air shaft at the Stillman apartment?

10. How did Virginia and Peter Stillman first meet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Quinn's morality comes into question on occasion in City of Glass. He often makes attempts to justify his actions to himself. Write an essay that explains why Quinn thinks he has to justify his actions to himself. Does Quinn ever feel guilty for pretending to be Paul Auster? How does justifying his actions make him feel better? Does he ever seriously think he will be caught?

Essay Topic 2

The Tower of Babel is a symbol that reoccurs many times in City of Glass. The first time it is mentioned is in Stillman's book. Write an essay that explains why the Tower of Babel is significant within the context of the story. How do the Stillman experiments with his son and the Tower of Babel relate? What is the relation between god's language and the Tower of Babel?

Essay Topic 3

When Quinn is at the train station and he sees the two Stillmans, the moment is symbolic. Both men are identical in physical appearance. The objective of this lesson is to explore the meaning behind the double Stillman encounter. What do the two different Stillmans represent? Which one is real and which one is an illusion? Does Quinn choose to follow the correct one?

(see the answer keys)

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