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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. Why does Milton decide to enlist in the Navy?

2. What is unusual about Lefty and Desdemona's relationship?

3. What mistake does Dr. Philobosian make when the narrator is born?

4. What is Lefty's actual motivation for going into town?

5. Why does Jimmy Fioretos call to wake Milton early one morning?

Short Essay Questions

1. What goes through Tessie's mind as she watches movies at the theatre?

2. Compare Lefty's original Zebra Room to Milton's version of the Zebra Room.

3. Describe the village of Bithynios.

4. Why do Tessie and Milton want a baby daughter so badly?

5. Describe the Greek General Hajienestis.

6. Describe Calliope's baptism.

7. How does Jimmy Zismo change during Sourmelina's pregnancy?

8. Describe Fard Muhammad's beliefs about the evolution of race.

9. How does the narrator characterize Lefty's gradual demise?

10. Why do the Ford Sociological Department workers visit Lefty's home? What do they find that concerns them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the themes in Middlesex is "you can't stop the inevitable". Discuss how Eugenides demonstrates this theme in the novel. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

One of the themes in Middlesex is the American Dream. Discuss how the American Dream is used in this novel and what it says about the attainability of the dream. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides weaves actual events from history (Turkish and American) into his fictional story. Select one of the situations where he places his characters within a real historical context and:

1) Describe the historical context of the scene or chapter (i.e. What actually happened in history that Eugenides uses in the book?).

2) Discuss the relationship between the historical context and the fictional story of the Stephanides family. What does this piece of history have to do with the family's life? Why does Eugenides choose to place these characters at this particular point in the story in this particular historical context?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,232 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample