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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 has Oedipa noticed about her life before she embarks on her journey?

2. What do the members of Mike Fallopian's group use on the sly?

3. What are the members of Mike Fallopian's group required to do each week?

4. What does fangoso mean in Spanish?

5. What is the name of the town where Oedipa and Mucho live?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was strange about Pierce Inverarity's call to Oedipa a year ago?

2. What is unusual about the postmark on the letter Oedipa receives from Mucho?

3. How does Oedipa imagine Pierce Inverarity might have died?

4. What aspect of Mucho's job does Oedipa compare to a religious officiant conducting a ceremony?

5. According to Mike Fallopian, what eventually happened to Peter Pinguid?

6. As she is losing the game of Strip Botticelli, what does Oedipa remove first?

7. Why is the introduction of the Yoyodyne mail deliverer at The Scope important to the plot of The Crying of Lot 49?

8. How is the sign advertising the Echo Courts in the likeness of Marilyn Monroe?

9. In his phone call to Oedipa a year ago, what did Pierce Inverarity say about Mucho?

10. Describe the manager of the Echo Courts Motel.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the language of description repeatedly used to suggest that Oedipa's quest for truth is also a quest for religious or spiritual significance in a world apparently devoid of it? Give specific examples throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the overall theme of the breakdown of communication on the societal level. How was it symbolized and explored throughout the novel? Compare this to how communication breaks down on a personal level for Oedipa.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 3, Pynchon engages in explicit foreshadowing, signaled by use of the future tense. The author also speaks directly to the reader, providing knowledge of which the character remains ignorant.

1) Give specific examples of foreshadowing.

2) How is this literary device used in an ironic manner?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 600 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample