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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. David says that Gene's monster is ________________.
(a) his anorexia.
(b) his mother.
(c) his fear of failure.
(d) his alcohol addiction.

2. What is Gene's last name?
(a) Pasternak.
(b) Preston.
(c) Pearson.
(d) Paulson.

3. What is Paul's last name?
(a) Miller.
(b) Voiles.
(c) Hobbes.
(d) Weston.

4. What is Bill's last name?
(a) Miller.
(b) Kerrigan.
(c) Agatson.
(d) Watson.

5. Who is Paul's wife?
(a) Kathryn.
(b) Joyce.
(c) Addie.
(d) Sara.

Short Answer Questions

1. The reversal of traditional roles in a marriage is _________________ for Paul and Kathryn.

2. What does Paul give to Gene one night when they are at a bar?

3. Gene becomes deeply involved with whom?

4. What lie does Paul tell Gene in order to get him to come out for a drink?

5. Who is Bianca?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Paul and Kathryn at odds regarding their different emotional needs?

2. What are some of the ways in which Stofsky searches for meaning in his life?

3. Why is it not out of place for someone like Stofsky to talk about psychological issues during this time period?

4. How does Paul's lack of self-awareness drive the attachments he makes in his life?

5. How are psychotherapy and writing compared and which seems to help the characters in the book?

6. What is the significance of Paul Hobbes writing a love letter at the beginning of the novel?

7. What does the party at Stofsky's apartment serve as a metaphor for?

8. Describe the scene where Stofsky goes to see Waters in his flat and is picked up by the asylum attendants.

9. Why is Pasternak standing in front of Christine's house when Stofsky and Hobbes try to find him in the bars?

10. How does the budding romance between Pasternak and Christine begin to mirror that of Paul and Kathryn's marriage?

(see the answer keys)

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