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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. Which of the following sciences does Professor Momsen study?

2. Which of the schoolgirl's body parts are most intriguing to Joey when he first meets her?

3. When Joey dreams of seeing himself in various forms of maturity in a dream, how do his other "selves" treat each other?

4. Which of the following career choices does Joey find most annoying?

5. What hurtful name does the schoolgirl call Joey when he is sitting in her bedroom?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the principal of Joey's school feel about Pimko's psychological style?

2. What community does the narrator claim is the stupidest community of all, and why?

3. What reason does Joey give for his own personal struggle with immaturity?

4. Why does Kneadus burst into the Youngblood family home soon after Joey moves in with the family?

5. How do the students in Joey's classroom treat their teachers?

6. What is Mrs. Youngblood's reaction to Joey's age?

7. How does the narrator feel about Chopin?

8. How does Joey react to hearing Zuta speak on the telephone with her friends?

9. What bizarre dream does Joey have the night before the novel opens?

10. What type of writers does Joey find most annoying in the literary world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator of this novel has very strong opinions of what art is in society and how to accomplish it. First, describe the difference between what the narrator calls "art" with a lowercase a and "Art" with an uppercase A. Then, describe the narrator's opinions of the art community as a whole. Do you agree with the narrator's opinions of art? Finally, describe how the narrator's opinions of art reflect his feeling about this novel. Be sure to choose at least two scenes from the novel that you think best exemplify and strengthen your argument and describe them in this essay.

Essay Topic 2

When Joey is alone with Zuta he has a difficult time communicating with her. Choose at least two scenes in which Joey finds himself unable to physically communicate with Zuta. How does Joey unleash the frustration he feels at his ineptitude? Then, explain how each of these scenes highlights the different levels of maturity and character growth in Joey and Zuta.

Essay Topic 3

In Pimko's school, the best attribute a student can have is immaturity. First, describe why immaturity is such an alluring character trait for the students in Pimko's school. Then, describe how the teachers manipulate the immature students' brains. What commentary is Gombrowicz making about academia in general through the use of his overbearing, opinionated teachers? Choose at least two examples of scenes from the text that you believe best exemplify and strengthen your argument and describe those scenes in this essay.

(see the answer keys)

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