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. Why does the narrator call Ambrose’s father a minstrel in reverse that evening?

2. What example does Ambrose use to show he has more imagination than Peter?

3. What does Ambrose think about being himself?

4. What did Ambrose do at his Boy Scout initiation ceremony?

5. Of what kind of material are Ambrose’s pants made?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Peter do when everyone falls to the floor, and how does Magda react to Peter’s behavior?

2. What kind of machines in the arcade are broken, and why are they sitting there broken?

3. What does Ambrose do after Magda and Peter leave the Funhouse?

4. Why do the teenagers return to the Funhouse when their money runs out?

5. What is done in Ocean City because of U-boats and how is it done?

6. What does Ambrose imagine his father saying to him about getting through the Funhouse?

7. What does Magda win during 'Looking for the Towers', and what does she do with her prize?

8. What does Magda ask Ambrose about concerning his foot, and what is his reply?

9. What do Peter and Uncle Karl try at the pool, and how does Ambrose’s mother react to their behavior? How is Ambrose involved in the situation?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Often, authors will write about what they know, and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the story more interesting. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of John Barth. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her short stories? Why or why not? Give examples. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Barth's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the short story and discuss Barth's probable agenda concerning that idea.

Essay Topic 2

What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven or action driven? Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why? Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character are developed to the same degree? Why or why not? What type of plot do you think Lost in the Funhouse is? Explain your response.

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)

This section contains 843 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample