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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 Ambrose’s mother do for Uncle Karl in the car while they are driving to Ocean City?

2. For what does Ambrose think there should be a button?

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

4. What does the narrator say Ambrose and Peter’s father never does?

5. What did Ambrose try to do when he was baptized?

Short Essay Questions

1. What has Ambrose realized about winning the traditional game, and at what age does he understand this tactic?

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

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

4. 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?

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

6. How does Ambrose feel after what he sees at the boardwalk, and what does he want to do? What comment does Magda make about Ambrose’s condition?

7. What is Ambrose’s father doing while Ambrose is in the Funhouse?

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

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

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

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

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?

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