View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 67, what does Joelle begin to worry obsessively about?

2. In the hospital, who does Don dream of as death?

3. In the Entertainment, what does the tape start with a person doing?

4. What was strange about Mario's birth?

5. What is the name of Orin's friend from high school?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of relationship did James and Lyle have?

2. What is an example of James being a genius but inability to deal with real life matters?

3. What problems does Don Gately have with sobriety?

4. What role does the theme of suicide play in the novel?

5. What parallels does Wallace draw between the Entertainment and drugs?

6. How could the use of the Entertainment be devastating?

7. What does Eric Clipperton's death show the students at Enfield?

8. How does Orin treat women?

9. Describe the memories James had about his father.

10. Why does Hal begin to watch his father's films?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Which character develops the most throughout Infinite Jest? How do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Why do Don and Joelle connect? What elements of their histories and current treatment parallel each other? Why is Don so interested in Joelle?

Essay Topic 3

The character of Lyle is symbolic of one's desire to feed off the exertion of others. What characters fit into this category? Identify at least two characters who might fit into this pattern.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 921 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample