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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. Which of the following is not something that Thomas Schell takes pictures of in My Feelings?

2. What adjective does Oskar Schell use to describe September 11, 2001?

3. What does Grandma say she wishes she could do near the end of My Feelings?

4. What is tattooed on Thomas's right palm when Grandma sees him in Manhattan in My Feelings?

5. What does Grandma resolve to do the morning of the Dresden bombing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Abby Black and Oskar Schell talk about in The Only Animal?

2. What ideas does Oskar Schell come up with in the beginning of What The?

3. What is Oskar's attitude toward Jimmy?

4. What two ways does Oskar communicate with Grandma in Googolplex?

5. Why does Grandma get samples of letters as a child in My Feelings?

6. When does Grandma first see Thomas in Dresden?

7. What suggestion does Grandma make to Thomas about their relationship in My Feelings?

8. What happens with Grandma on the evening of September 11, 2001?

9. How does Grandma know that Thomas is gone at the end of My Feelings?

10. What is the significance of the storage unit in The Only Animal?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The structure of the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is unusual from the beginning, with the mixing of different narrators and syntax styles, but Jonathan Safran Foer further muddies the narrative waters by having the narrative regularly interrupted by pages that contain something other than plot. Write an essay about these pages, discussing what their connection to the narrative is. Who, presumably, has inserted them into the novel and why? How does their inclusion affect the way the novel is perceived as an object? What does it become?

Part 1) Photos

Part 2) Pages with a single phrase on them.

Part 3) Blank pages.

Essay Topic 2

One of the most whimsical and tragic figures of the novel is A.R. Smith, the old photographer the floor above Oskar. Write an essay about A.R. Black, his worldview, and his impetus to help Oskar on his quest. How does his extensive card catalogue reflect a particular worldview? What in his past could have contributed to this worldview? Why do you think that A.R. Black decides to join Oskar on his search, and why do you think 6 months is enough searching for him? Sum up by offering an opinion as to where he goes when he moves out of Oskar's building. Do you think he moves in with Ruth Black?

Essay Topic 3

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a novel told largely from the point of view of Oskar Schell, a nine-year-old living with his mother on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. His life before the September 11th attacks was sheltered; after the attacks, he is consumed with anxieties he must overcome. Write an essay about three new experiences he has in the novel and how they affect him:

Part 1) When Oskar Schell begins his search for the key's lock, his first subject is Aaron Black of Corona. How is his journey into Corona an entirely new experience? Has he ever been to Queens before this point? What does he notice about Aaron Black's apartment building that is different from his own?

Part 2) When Oskar goes to Abe Black's place in Coney Island, he is suddenly compelled to do something by Abe that scares him. What is this action that terrifies Oskar? What essential fears stemming from his father's death does this action represent for Oskar?

Part 3) Discuss how Oskar Schell's interaction with Ruth Black represents his most extreme confrontation with the anxieties created by the September 11th attacks. What is he afraid of as he goes to her apartment? What thoughts consume him, and how does he deal with them?

(see the answer keys)

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