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

2. Why might an author in fiction delete a name and use a blank for it?

3. How much money does Ambrose’s mother give each teenager to spend?

4. What does Ambrose tell Magda is the reason he is limping?

5. What does Ambrose think sounds like bees droning?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ambrose do hesitantly to try and find some help while lost in the funhouse?

2. What does the Gypsy Fortune Teller machine look like?

3. How does Magda react to Ambrose taking her arm, and what does he want to tell her?

4. What does Uncle Karl say will change the holiday for the family this year and why has this occured?

5. What does Ambrose imagine about his son and what he might say to the boy?

6. What does Ambrose do because he is so nervous about going in the Funhouse with Magda and what does the ticket woman say to Magda?

7. Where does Ambrose go after dinner? What is he looking for and what does he see?

8. How does Ambrose feel about Magda and what is he afraid to do about it?

9. What church does Ambrose’s family belong to, and why is Ambrose different from most other children in the church? Why did it happen?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Humor and jokes are imbedded throughout the text of Lost in the Funhouse. Discuss how Barth uses humor to offset the depression and loneliness that actually pervades Ambrose’s thoughts. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

When Ambrose is below the boardwalk he hears his family laughing above him. The narrator comments that if Ambrose was not old enough or smart enough to understand the joke he could have said: “The laughter was over his head.” Discuss what the author is attempting to do by including this commentary by the narrator about wordplay.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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