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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. Who does Grandma douse a pile of Thomas's books in My Feelings?

2. Where does Grandma secretly spy on Thomas in My Feelings?

3. What does Grandma notice about Thomas's clothes in My Feelings?

4. What is written on key Oskar finds in Googolplex?

5. What does Jimmy do backstage that angers Oskar in Heavy Boots - Heavier Boots?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does married life become a series of negotiations for Grandma and Thomas Schell, Sr. in Why I'm Not Where You Are?

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

4. What did Oskar Schell do with the phone after his father's call on September 11, 2001?

5. How does Grandma begin to alienate Thomas Schell in My Feelings?

6. What happens to Oskar when he arrives home on September 11, 2001?

7. Describe Thomas's decision to leave Grandma in Why I'm Not Where You Are.

8. What is Oskar's attitude toward Jimmy?

9. How does Grandma write her memoirs in Why I'm Not Where You Are?

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

Oskar Schell is a fearful child, and his fears can fall into two camps that are real and imagined. Write an essay discussing these two types of fear and how they manifest themselves in the novel. For example, how do Dr. Fein and Jimmy represent a very real, concrete adversity to Oskar? What genuine concerns for his life do they present? Conversely, discuss the imagined dangers that haunt Oskar throughout the novel. From where do these fears derive and how do they affect his daily life?

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

Oskar Schell is a complex character, one that embodies both manic gregariousness and deep and unrelenting personal anguish. Write an essay about how those two facets of Oskar's personality in three parts:

Part 1) How would you describe Oskar's outward personality in the everyday world? Write a paragraph analyzing his relationship with those around him, focusing on his school life, his family life, and the way he interacts with the various Blacks he tracks down over the course of the novel.

Part 2) What does Oskar do in the privacy of his bedroom that indicates he is hiding some deep and unhealed pain in the wake of his father's death? How does this pain explode in a confrontation with his mother midway through the novel? What anger is he harboring toward her?

Part 3) Discuss the moment Oskar has with the limo driver, Gerald Thompson, on his way to his father's burial. How does the presentation of this interaction from both Oskar and Grandma's point of view reveal what is happening below the surface? How is Oskar's gregariousness a mask for his innate pain?

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