View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the guard, Grandma's uncle, and the killer in My Feelings have in common?

2. What lie does Oskar Schell tell Abby Black in The Only Animal?

3. During their conversation in My Feelings, what does Mom do for Grandma for the first time?

4. According to Grandma, you cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from what?

5. What is the last word that the narrator of Why I'm Not Where You Are is able to speak?

Short Essay Questions

1. What cautionary story does Grandma's own grandmother tell in her letter in My Feelings?

2. How does Thomas Schell's silence affect his living situation?

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

4. How does Grandma find Oskar in My Feelings?

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

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

7. How do the Blacks of chapters past reappear in this chapter?

8. Describe Oskar's argument with his mother in Heavy Boots - Heavier Boots.

9. What is the purpose of the drain system Oskar imagines in Googolplex?

10. How does Oskar Schell fare in his first jujitsu class?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the relationship between Grandma and her sister Anna. Focus primarily on the period immediately before the bombing of Dresden. How is one girl experiencing sexuality at the same time as another is experiencing an innocent curiosity about sexually? How are they both bound to Thomas Schell, Sr. before the bombing happens? To what extent is Anna's death instrumental in bringing Grandma and Thomas together in America?

Essay Topic 2

Oskar Schell is a character with a number of idiosyncrasies: collecting odd pictures, contacting famous scientists, and punching himself. Write an essay in which you choose three idiosyncrasies and analyze the root of their existence. What purpose do they serve in Oskar's daily life? How does he use them to fend off sadness, embarrassment, and fear? Do any of them appear to be inherited in some respect from his father? Sum up the essay by discussing what Oskar fears in the wake of his father's death and what he wants out of life, connecting these objectives to the character ticks that define him.

Essay Topic 3

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a story about interconnection. Oskar Schell's search of the key's lock is an egalitarian one, crossing different boroughs, socioeconomic groups, and life experiences. Write an essay about three of the Blacks Oskar meets in his quest. How is this person's experience different from his own? What about this person's life is compelling to Oskar? What questions does he ask, and in the end how is his life richer for meeting this person?

Part 1) Abby Black.

Part 2) Abe Black.

Part 3) Ada Black.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,047 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample