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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 camels are present within the caravan led by Mohammed?

2. While Bastian is contemptuous of art and literature, he follows avidly the events within what arena?

3. The narrator describes the two camel boys' affection for one another as resembling the love between which two fictional characters?

4. What part of his body does Arthur fracture as he is running after the dog who steals his blue suit in India?

5. What roles does Hans perform for Arthur during Arthur's time in Germany?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is ironic about the one thing Arthur says in perfect German during his stay in Germany?

2. In what ways does Arthur see Lewis and Clark's marriage as an ideal one?

3. What characterizes Arthur's approach to teaching?

4. What reason is given for Arthur's decision not to stay longer in Paris by accepting another flight delay or by staying with Javier?

5. What does the narrator reveal about Zohra's past?

6. What does Finley announce to Arthur as the reason that Arthur's work is not included in the gay literary canon?

7. What comments does Zohra make about the subject of Arthur's last completed book when he finally tells her its plot?

8. What is the symbolism of Ait Ben Haddou in Morocco?

9. How did Arthur comfort his anxious mind in his youth?

10. What is the subject of Arthur's fever dream in Paris when he is there with Freddy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

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?

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