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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 do Claire and Tobias break up?

2. What does Dag think he'll be doing when he dies?

3. What does Tobias say his memory of life on Earth is?

4. What is Claire's brother's name?

5. At the end of Chapter 29, before returning to the party, what does Dag do to Andy?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Elvissa get her name?

2. According to Andy, why will this year's Christmas holiday be different at the Palmer home?

3. How does Andy describe the MacArthurs in Chapter 20?

4. What does Claire intend to do with the stick she found on the street in New York?

5. In Chapter 28, what do we find out was the reason Tobias was attracted to Claire?

6. What does Andy explain about his father's health in Chapter 25?

7. What does Andy do for his family on Christmas morning?

8. What does Andy describe planing in his parents' back yard in Chapter 23?

9. What does Andy tell Dag about a little Japanese girl he lived with in Chapter 29?

10. What is the significance of the title of the story Elvissa tells, "The Boy with the Hummingbird Eyes"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the genre of the novel, literary fiction. What are the elements of this genre? Why is this novel an example of this genre?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the setting of the novel Generation X. Why does Coupland choose Palm Springs as the setting for the novel? Why is it an appropriate setting to explore the themes of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Andy's, Claire's, and Dag's transformation. Do they all grow and transform equally? How do their personal transformations come about? How are their transformations conveyed to the reader? What symbols and metaphors does the author use to illustrate these important events?

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