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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. Where does the worst of the sun come into the car?

2. In what situation does the narrator say it is not a good idea for an author to use the first person?

3. What does Ambrose’s father say about the way his family takes vacations?

4. What does Ambrose notice about the people going into the funhouse?

5. What does the narrator say is the most distinguishing physical feature of Ambrose’s father?

Short Essay Questions

1. What advertises the funhouse that the family stares at, and what does Peter suggests when they are looking at it? What does Ambrose suggest?

2. Why doesn’t Ambrose ask the person he sees how to get out of the Funhouse, and what happens when Ambrose realizes he is lost?

3. Why are the prizes different on the broken machines at the arcade?

4. What was often done in 19th Century fiction to make a work appear real?

5. How does Ambrose feel about the Funhouse on the way home, and what does Uncle Karl do about the whole affair?

6. Who is in the car with Ambrose driving to Ocean City?

7. What does Ambrose think about when he is in the mirror room of the Funhouse, and what does Ambrose hear?

8. What does Peter do after giving up on his and his Uncle Karl’s play at the pool?

9. What is the truth about Magda’s question that Ambrose does not tell her?

10. What gives Ambrose hope that he will find the exit to the Funhouse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During the trip to Ocean City, Ambrose’s family plays car games. A traditional game is being the first to see the Towers. Ambrose, at four, realized how to win this game every time.

Discuss what understanding how to win a game at the age of four says about Ambrose as a person and what this illustrates about his intellect. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

While lost in the funhouse, Ambrose wanders into some dark places and sees gears and levers and an old man who seems to be manipulating them. Compare Ambrose’s wandering through the funhouse to the normal confusion Ambrose feels as an adolescent who is not quite a child but not quite an adult.

Essay Topic 3

Ambrose and his narrator alter ego are both marked by their exceptionally keen awareness of self.

Discuss the ways in which Ambrose demonstrates an awareness of himself. Questions to consider might be: How does he perceive himself? How does he see himself in relationship to others? How does he think others see him? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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