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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. What does Jan make for Henry's penis in this section?

2. What does Henry say he looks like as he emerges in great pain from the bathroom?

3. What kind of car does Mary Lou drive?

4. What part of Henry's body does Endicot bite?

5. When does Laura like to have sex?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Henry's role in the clothing store?

2. How does Henry break Pop's world record in the tenth section?

3. What does Henry find attractive about Jan?

4. Why does Mr. Hansen fire Henry?

5. Why does the Yellow Cab Company sack Henry?

6. What is Janeway Smithson's role at the Yellow Cab Company?

7. Describe Mary Lou.

8. What does Maurice tell Henry in the tenth section?

9. How did Henry lose his favorite job working for the Red Cross?

10. What is Henry's attitude at his job at the Times newspaper?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What problems does Bukowski identify with the American social system? What are the arguments for and against developing a better social system? How has the American social system changed since the 70s?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the values of the 1940s.

1. In what ways are the characters a product of their time?

2. How does the book express the changes America was going through at the time?

3. Does modern society share any values with 1940s America?

Essay Topic 3

The author wrote FACTOTUM in the first person. Why do you think the author chose to write the story in the first person? How do you think the meaning of the story would change if the author wrote it in the third person?

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This section contains 722 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample