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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. In what area of New York City had Arthur Less lived for a time after college?
(a) The West Village.
(b) Long Island.
(c) The Meatpacking District.
(d) Manhattan.

2. The narrator says, "No one could rival Arthur Less for his ability to exit a room while" (37) performing what action?
(a) Avoiding notice.
(b) Remaining inside the room.
(c) Appearing to be coming right back.
(d) Leaving everyone in the room laughing.

3. What drug did Arthur and Robert take together during their trip to Mexico?
(a) LSD.
(b) Peyote.
(c) Ecstasy.
(d) Mescaline.

4. With what group of artists and writers was Arthur Less once associated?
(a) The Merry Pranksters.
(b) The Beat Generation.
(c) The Lost Generation.
(d) The Russian River School.

5. During their first meeting on the beach, what does Marian advise Arthur to do with his youth?
(a) Waste it.
(b) Bury it.
(c) Regret it.
(d) Embrace it.

Short Answer Questions

1. Though the narrator says that all Arthur Less has "managed to grow is a gentle sense of himself, akin to the transparent carapace of a soft-shelled crab" (6), what event is stated to still have the ability to hurt him?

2. On what day of the Mexican festival is Arthur scheduled to speak?

3. Which famous science fiction writer has Arthur Less come to interview in New York City?

4. In what decade of life had Arthur Less been when his work was first published?

5. What lie does Arthur tell to his escort upon his arrival in Mexico?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Arthur eventually decide about avoiding heartbreak?

2. What is the narrator's hypothesis about why Arthur spends nine years with Freddy?

3. What does Arthur hope will happen as a result of leaving America?

4. For what purpose has Arthur come to New York City and what is its end result?

5. What is the relationship between Freddy and Carlos?

6. For what purpose does Arthur accept all of the literary invitations he has received?

7. What is the actual sound being made when Arthur believes the sound of thunder to be interrupting his reveries during the Italian award ceremony?

8. What does Freddy mean when he calls Arthur the bravest person he knows?

9. What is the nature of the current relationship between Arthur and Robert?

10. How do Arthur and Robert meet?

(see the answer keys)

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