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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. How does Aunt Hulecka feel about Kneadus befriending her staff?

2. What sound does Joey make through the wall to let Zuta know he's spying on her?

3. Which of the following characters frequently takes a cold shower in the morning rather than a bath?

4. Which of the following processes is not one the narrator is quick to do?

5. What do the sophisticated members of the tennis audience do when they see the brawl breaking out?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mr. Youngblood react to the scene he walks into in Zuta's bedroom while looking for thieves?

2. What is the residual effects of the battle between Syphus and Kneadus the day after?

3. Who starts the final brawl of the novel?

4. Why does Joey create a peephole between his bedroom and Zuta's bedroom?

5. How does Zuta respond when she realizes Joey is spying on her?

6. What happens when the Marquis de Filiberthe joins the brawl at the tennis match?

7. How does Aunt Hurlecka come to Joey's rescue while he is on the outskirts of town?

8. Why does Joey end up in a field at the end of the novel?

9. How does Mrs. Youngblood react when she realizes that Joey is in love with Zuta?

10. How does Auntie feel about the budding friendship between Valek and Kneadus?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Joey arrives at the school, his schoolmates quickly divide up into two gangs, the lads and the guys. First, explain how the division among the boys came about in the schoolyard. Who is declared the leader of each of the gangs? What characteristics define the boys who are lads and boys who are guys? In what way does the schoolyard division reflect the social divide that is taking place in the town Joey lives in? Be sure to cite examples from the text to strengthen your argument.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

At various places in the novel, the prose is broken up with chunks of poetry or quotes from other published authors. First, choose at least two of these quotes from the novel and explain their significance within the story. Then, explain what is accomplished in the novel overall by including these secondary texts. Do you think the goal is accomplished?

(see the answer keys)

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