View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On what is the old man Ambrose sees in the funhouse sitting?

2. What is hanging above the old man’s head in the funhouse?

3. What does Magda pretend to ignore at the swimming pool?

4. What does the narrator say Independence Day is in America?

5. What does Ambrose think is a disappointment to eat even though they look good?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ambrose think he sees when he steps into the mirror room in the Funhouse?

2. How are the teenagers able to get into the Funhouse?

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

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

5. What is one reason the narrator says exists for not writing a lost-in-the-fun-house story?

6. In which section of the Funhouse does Ambrose take Magda’s arm, and why does he take her arm?

7. Why does the family stay out of the ocean, and what do they do instead of swimming in the ocean?

8. 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?

9. What does the narrator say is the best thing to do when one is lost, and what is the drawback to that action?

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

Trace and analyze the theme of consciousness in Lost in the Funhouse. Which characters struggle with this issue? Why? Which characters seem to be aware of themselves and conscious of how they relate to the world? How is Ambrose’s consciousness shown in the funhouse? How does Ambrose’s consciousness compare to other characters’ consciousness?

Essay Topic 2

One of the key elements in any funhouse is the hall of mirrors where visitors see images of themselves in strange and unfamiliar shapes.

Discuss the ways in which Ambrose becomes even more aware of himself when he is in the mirror room of the funhouse. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Lost in the Funhouse belongs to the short story genre. Define the literary term "genre" and name three other genres in addition to the short story genre. What are the advantages and disadvantages of assigning a genre to literature? What is the difference between a short story and a novel or a play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 781 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample