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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. To what does the narrator compare winding parts of the funhouse?

2. What does Ambrose’s mother say when Magda wins the Towers game?

3. Ambrose thinks everything one sees in Ocean City is preparation and intermission for what?

4. Why does Ambrose walk on Magda’s right side when they are on the boardwalk?

5. What does the narrator say giving descriptions with two different senses, such as auditory and visual, can do?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. What does Ambrose decide is the whole point of being in Ocean City, and how does he see Ocean City when he figures this out?

4. How does Ambrose know Magda and Peter have exited the Funhouse?

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

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

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

8. Describe Uncle Karl and Peter.

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

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

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

The narrator asks at the beginning of Lost in the Funhouse 'for whom is the funhouse fun?' Discuss, in depth, what you believe Ambrose’s response to the above question would be.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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