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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 drug did Arthur and Robert take together during their trip to Mexico?

2. While Arthur had assumed that Mexico City would be like Phoenix on a smoggy day, what city does he say it is actually like once he sees it?

3. What does the festival organizer name as the reason he throws the festival in Mexico?

4. The narrator describes the ride home from the tour of Mexico City as "half as charming" (61) as the ride there, due to being what?

5. In what town did Arthur and Robert stay when they went to Mexico together?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the relationship between Freddy and Carlos?

2. How does Arthur feel after his relationship with Robert ends?

3. How do Arthur and Robert meet?

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a critical essay about the novel while using the critical power theory lens of queer theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the treatment of gender roles, sexual identity, and other issues related to queer theory that can be found in the book.

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the theme of innocence within the novel, particularly in relation to the novel's protagonist. What is the author's message regarding innocence and how do you know?

Essay Topic 3

What is the novel's message concerning vulnerability within the human condition?

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This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample