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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. In Chapter 4, who does Oedipa tell Stanley Koteks she is?

2. According to Genghis Cohen, who organized the courier service in the Bergamo region around 1290?

3. On her way to visit Emory Bortz, what building does Oedipa see burned down?

4. As Oedipa sits in the apartment in Berkeley concentrating and awaiting the demon's message, what is on the TV?

5. Tristero y Calavera set up his own postal system and called himself El Desheredado, which meant what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Bortz hands Oedipa an ancient book about the Italian travels of Dr. Diocletian Blobb. What does this story have to do with the Trystero?

2. According to Jesus Arrabal, what is the miracle of Inverarity?

3. What is the paradox that Oedipa discovers concerning the Trystero couplet from Driblette's play?

4. What are the four alternatives Oedipa comes up with to explain her discoveries concerning the Tristero?

5. What is Pynchon ridiculing through all of Oedipa's in-depth research into the Trystero?

6. What connection does Oedipa make between the old German stamp with Thurn and Taxis printed on it which has a post horn, resembling the WASTE symbol, in each corner and the scene from The Courier's Tragedy?

7. How is the campus of Cal State different from when Oedipa was in college?

8. The overall crisis Oedipa faces by the end of the novel could be summed up how?

9. Why are WASTE mail boxes located under freeways?

10. Give examples of individuals with the post horn symbol who are somehow alienated from society.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the function of language and its ability or inability to convey truth as a central thematic strand of the novel. How is this theme intertwined with others in The Crying of Lot 49?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how Chapter 4 of The Crying of Lot 49 shows Oedipa involved in a process of meaning creation. Give at least four specific examples from events in the chapter.

Essay Topic 3

Oedipa's husband is named Mucho Maas, an approximation to the Spanish phrase 'mucho mas,' or 'much more.' What does this suggest the character of Mucho represents in the novel? Give specific examples of how this is shown throughout The Crying of Lot 49.

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