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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. Where does Henry take a job in this section?

2. What does Henry plead guilty to?

3. What part of New York does Henry move to?

4. What kind of hat does Willie wear while driving his car?

5. What does Henry vomit on when he gets home?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Billy-Boy help Henry in the third section?

2. How does Henry anger his parents in the second section?

3. What does Henry do while drunk with his friend, Tim Hunter?

4. What does Henry do while his parents are away?

5. What does Carson Gentry make Henry understand about life in the fourth section?

6. Describe Willie Oxnard's house?

7. How does Willie's death affect the girls?

8. Summarize the second section.

9. What is Henry's first job in New York?

10. Describe Henry's first two days in New York.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Bukowski represent alcoholism in his novel? How does Chinaski's habit affect his daily life? What kind of person would Chinaski have been without the alcoholism?

Essay Topic 2

Identify the main themes of the story. In what way are these themes relevant to the period? How does the author use character and setting to express these themes?

Essay Topic 3

How does Bukoski represent sex? How did people in the 70s perceive Bukowski's representations of sex? How do people today perceive Bukowski's representations of sex?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 693 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample