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. In what city does Henry swap trains?

2. Where does Henry travel to at the beginning of Chapter 23?

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

4. What does Billy Boy hire Henry to wash?

5. Where does Henry go for a job on Monday?

Short Essay Questions

1. Summarize the fourth section.

2. How does Henry meet Laura?

3. What does Henry think of New York when he first arrives?

4. What does Henry promise himself in the fourth section?

5. Why does Henry decide it is time to go back to Los Angeles?

6. How does Henry lose his job at the dog biscuit factory?

7. How does a relationship develop between Henry and Gertrude?

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

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

10. Summarize the second section.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Aside from the main character, examine the way the author uses the other characters in the book. When does he introduce and take them away from the story? What effect does it have on the story?

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

Examine the construction of Bukowski's argument.

1. How does he introduce his ideas?

2. How does he construct his ideas to come to logical conclusion?

3. What weaknesses and strengths can you identify in Bukowski's argument?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 686 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample