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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. What does the narrator say about Ambrose’s father’s physical looks?

2. Why can’t they locate Ambrose in the funhouse?

3. What will Ambrose tell his son when his son becomes thirteen years old?

4. How does Ambrose end up with a sore toe in the funhouse?

5. What does the narrator say a man could do with a mannequin?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does an elderly man say to Ambrose about how to enter the Funhouse?

2. What does Ambrose see in his imagination about married life?

3. What did the hurricane of 1933 do to the Boardwalk?

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

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

6. Who does Ambrose see in the Funhouse when he is wandering and what is that person doing?

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

8. What is a traditional game the family plays when approaching the midway point, and what is the prize for the winner?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Choose two significant symbols and trace and analyze their appearance in Lost in the Funhouse. Are these universal symbols that would have the same meaning in any culture? What other symbols could portray the same idea? Why do you think Barth chooses the symbols he does? Consider symbols such as the Towers, Fat May, the Funhouse, and the oil in the ocean.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss what you think are the characteristics of a successful short story and why Lost in the Funhouse is or is not a successful short story based on your criteria. Do you think the criteria for a successful short story should be different if it is written for adults versus young adults?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 796 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample