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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. Ostensibly, how did David Ferrie die?

2. Where did Mackey work with Raymo and Frank?

3. What is lee regularly quizzed on in the brig?

4. What is Win Everett doing at the end of June 19th?

5. Why is Lee mocked at his school in the Bronx?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do Lee and Marguerite argue in New Orleans?

2. Why is Lee banned from the Sproul house?

3. What does Lee read about in New Orleans?

4. How does Lee meet Konno in Atsugi?

5. Why is Parmenter especially angry about the Bay of Pigs debacle?

6. What initial actions do the CIA men take for their plan on April 17th?

7. Describe the colorful conversation Bannister has at a bar on June 19th.

8. Why is Lee Oswald punished before shipping out?

9. What does Win Everett decide about the assassination location in 26 April?

10. What plans does Parmenter tell Mackey on May 20th?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the character of Marguerite. How does Don DeLillo use her to frame the story, and to what extent does she reemerge as a sort of Greek chorus, commenting on Lee's fate? Why do her passages often involve the first person? Analyze her personality and neuroses: how do they reveal an ability to see the world as it is?

Essay Topic 2

The political world of the book world is one of interlocking yet competitive covert interests. Write an essay about how these interests affect the life of Lee Oswald. What are each of these interests' objectives, and what role is Oswald supposed to play in these objectives? Which of these covert groups gives up on Oswald and which places nearly all of its hopes on him?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about insanity and disassociation in Libra. What mechanisms does Lee Oswald use to assume false identities, and how does this allow him disassociate himself from his actions? Discuss how Lee's view of the world becomes skewed. What delusions does he desperately hold on to? What false patterns does he begin to see in everyday life, and how does this fuel his willingness to kill Kennedy?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 884 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample