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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. How many other poets from the Russian River School are still alive besides Robert?

2. In what city do Arthur and Robert first meet on a beach?

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

4. Where did Robert's ring lost at the produce store end up being found?

5. What reason is given for Arthur's lack of a watch in the novel's opening scene?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What are Arthur's feelings about the works of the science fiction writer H. H. H. Mandern?

4. What is Arthur's reaction to Carlos's suggestion that he needs to "get an edge" (6) in order to decrease his level of vulnerability?

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

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

7. What does Arthur eventually decide about avoiding heartbreak?

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

9. What is ironic about Marian's last words to Arthur before he dives into the ocean during their first meeting?

10. How do Arthur and Robert meet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Determine the author's message regarding the relationship between comedy and tragedy depicted within the novel.

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Andrew Sean Greer's novel Less. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Sensory details are used frequently by the author in order to create vivid pictures of the places Arthur visits along his journey. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used by the author set a particular mood for each of the three scenes.

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This section contains 988 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample