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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. What does Kathryn later tell Paul when she calls him from work?

2. What literary device does the author use when describing the sight of the big man beating up the little man over a woman outside a bar?

3. Who is trying to kick a morphine habit?

4. Who does Paul kiss at the party?

5. Who is Paul's wife?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is the real reason for Paul's irritation toward Pasternak, who is sleeping late in Paul's apartment?

3. Why are the characters unable to find any clarity or purpose to their lives?

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

5. Why do the characters at the party revel in the excitement of it?

6. Who is Christine and why is she in contrast to the other characters?

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

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

9. What do Paul and Kathryn realize about their marriage and their life as they recover from the party the next day?

10. What does Chapter 2 reveal about Paul and Kathryn's marriage and the strain that Paul's hopeful writing career places on it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Paul and Pasternak. What do they have in common? What are their primary differences? Why are their differences classic examples of conflict in drama? What other similarities and dissimilarities are there between the two characters?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Kathryn Hobbes. What does she look like? What are her positive personality traits? What are some of her negative characteristics? What are her hopes and fears? What motivates her during her lifetime?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the setting at the beginning of the novel. Does the author paint a complete picture for the reader? What, if anything, is missing?

(see the answer keys)

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