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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. Who has Humboldt based his "Treatment" on?

2. What does Renata end up taking from Charlie as she leaves The Oak Room?

3. What produces autonomous beings that appear animated, giddy, and free but in the final analysis are boring and of little relevance?

4. What does the person who went to Paris with Charlie want from Charlie?

5. What does Naomi ask Charlie to do in order for her to judge if he would make more sense to her now that she is older?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Charlie fail to say anything when Renata tells him the operator at the Plaza called her Mrs. Citrine?

2. Why does Charlie feel compelled to continue the work of the dead?

3. How does Charlie explain his relationship with Roger to people abroad?

4. How does the reader come to realize how close Humboldt must have felt towards Uncle Waldemar?

5. What is Charlie hoping to receive as he has now lived at the pension with Roger for ten weeks?

6. Why does Charlie begin to cry while watching the film in Paris with Rinaldo?

7. What happens to Corcoran's outlook when he repeats his romantic trip with his wife?

8. How does Charlie's theory that some people have no use for their gifts and can think only of overcoming their weaknesses apply to Charlie and Humboldt?

9. Why does Charlie believe that he cannot ask Renata to accompany him and the two older men from the nursing home out to lunch?

10. What is the state of Charlie's life and state of mind in Section 16 as he lives in Madrid?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Denise is Charlie's ex-wife. When explaining her feelings about Charlie's oldest friend, George Swiebel, she says, "George Swiebel is your billy goat." Explain what Denise meant by this statement and how it relates to Charlie.

Essay Topic 2

Alone in his room in Madrid while Roger is at school, Charlie meditates. How is he coming to terms with being a middle-aged man with no woman in his life and no money?

Essay Topic 3

Charlie feels he must leave New York and forgo travel to Europe because his brother, Julius, is about to undergo open-heart surgery in Texas. Renata bases her refusal to accompany Charlie to Texas on the notion that she would appear as a gold-digging bimbo if she went in any role but wife.

Why is Charlie reluctant to see Renata go off to Milan on her own? What does he fear will happen?

Even though Charlie may love Renata for many reasons beyond the shallow ones, he is clearly not ready to make the matrimonial commitment. Why not?

Can Charlie have his cake with Renata and eat it too? Does he even want to?

(see the answer keys)

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