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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 see a job ad?

2. What is the name of Henry's new boss?

3. Where does Jan drive Henry to?

4. Where does Henry say he first realized he was an idiot?

5. What kind of music does Henry like to listen to at home?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mr. Hansen fire Henry?

2. What does Smithson tell the men he will teach them?

3. How does Henry react to Mr. Adams' death?

4. How does Henry lose his job at the auto brakes company?

5. How does Jan react to Henry's reappearance in section nine?

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

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

8. How do Henry and Jan start living their lives after Henry is sacked?

9. Describe Mary Lou.

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

How did Bukowski view the post war society? What impact has his writing had on literature? Has his impact been mainly positive or mainly negative?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Compare Chinaski's character to the person he was at the beginning of the book to the he is at the end.

1. What did Chinaski hope to achieve at the beginning of the book?

2. What events changes Chinaski's ideas about life?

3. How has Chinaski's character changed by the end of the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 745 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample