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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 is the only item of furniture in the cage?

2. Which watchers are more to the taste of the hunger artist?

3. Who selects the permanent watchers?

4. Those who are not content with the dim night lighting of the hall focused the artist in the full glare of what?

5. Who lends the watchers the bright light to focus on the artist?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes the hunger artist and the impresario to part ways?

2. What are the reactions of those who do stop at the circus?

3. How do writing and the art of hunger compare metaphorically?

4. What does the artist think of the impresario's claims that the artist's melancholy is a result of the fasts?

5. What is one way to view the artist's suffering negatively?

6. What does the artist tell his watchers regarding the ease or difficulty of his fasting? What do they respond?

7. What is the symbiotic relationship between the artist and his audience? How does this frustrate him?

8. What are the distractions of being near the animals at the circus? How does this affect the artist?

9. What changes in terms of the artist's limitations in Part 2?

10. How is the artist's situation "absurd" in "A Hunger Artist"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the plot structure of "A Hunger Artist." How well does this story fit into the mold of a traditional plot?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of self-hatred and inadequacy as it applies to the story and to the artist. How does the author convey this theme?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's use of symbolism and motif? How do these techniques tie into the style of the author? How do they reflect various themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 740 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample