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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. When Mucho interviews Oedipa after she leaves Dr. Hilarius's office, what name does her call her?
2. Suffering nightmares and various symptoms, Oedipa goes to a doctor and requests a pregnancy test under what name?
3. Genghis Cohen shows Oedipa a Pony Express stamp from 1940 with the _______ symbol on the back.
4. As Mucho and Oedipa eat at a pizzeria, what does Mucho notice about one violin heard on the Muzak playing in the restaurant?
5. Why does Oedipa return to Kinneret to see Dr. Hilarius?
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. In addition to visiting John Nefastis, why does Oedipa need to go to Berkeley?
3. What is Pynchon ridiculing through all of Oedipa's in-depth research into the Trystero?
4. Why does Nefastis contend that only a sensitive person can work his machine?
5. When Oedipa and Metzger go back to The Scope in Chapter 4, Mike Fallopian explains that there exists what kind of underground group?
6. When Oedipa visits Vesperhaven House, what does Mr. Thoth tell her about his dream?
7. What is the story behind the religious splinter group known as the Scurvhamites that Professor Bortz tells Oedipa about?
8. Describe the Nefastis Machine as it was explained by Stanley Koteks.
9. At the end of Chapter 4, Genghis Cohen explains to Oedipa that the dandelion wine is clear now, but becomes cloudy in the spring when the dandelions begin to bloom, as if the dandelions in the wine remembered. What does Oedipa muse about this?
10. 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?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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.
Essay Topic 2
One of the themes of The Crying of Lot 49 is that technology does not reveal truth. How is this demonstrated in Chapter 5? Are there other examples of this theme in the novel?
Essay Topic 3
The Crying of Lot 49 mixes elements taken from several different genres, or types of literature. Discuss each of these in terms of its use in the novel.
1) The picaresque novel, such as Don Quixote
2) The Jacobean and Elizabethan revenge plays, such as Hamlet
3) Mythology
4) Fairytales
5) Historical texts
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This section contains 1,087 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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