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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. For how long is Arthur alone at the golf resort in Italy before the other prize finalists arrive?

2. What food does Arthur Less eat for dinner in order to make up for the extravagance of seeing a Broadway show on his first night in New York City?

3. When Freddy and Arthur are sitting in the bar and are describing one another using one sentence, Freddy describes Arthur using what adjective?

4. In what city does Arthur Less currently live?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Arthur's literary agent's reaction to Arthur's latest novel?

2. 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?

3. What are the reasons for Arthur's exhaustion the first morning he wakes up in Mexico?

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

5. Why does Arthur automatically lie when he is asked whether he has ever been to Mexico?

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. Why does the behavior of the Mexico City festival's organizer perplex Arthur?

8. What does Arthur eventually decide about avoiding heartbreak?

9. What does the grandfather clock in the opening scene symbolize?

10. What epiphany does Arthur have about heterosexual men during his search for his lost ring in the produce section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the interplay between the resolution of the novel and the author's choice of narrator to relay the narrative. How does the author employ each and how does their juxtaposition help him get across a main message of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Look carefully at the passages within the chapter Less German that describe Arthur's preferred teaching methods and his students' reactions to these methods. What is the author's purpose for discussing at length the nature of Arthur's role as a teacher?

Essay Topic 3

What is the author's message regarding commitment within relationships?

(see the answer keys)

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