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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. Who gets the whole group caught by the police in Chapter 3?

2. What leads the patients at Dr. Benway’s psychiatric hospital being freed?

3. NG Joe had a disorder in which death occurs during what?

4. What is Dr. Benway’s new project called?

5. Where do two types of organisms meet and engage in drug deals in Chapter 6?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrative style and plot structure change in “Hassan’s Rumpus Room”?

2. What does the character of Joselito represent symbolically?

3. Why is Willy at Hassan’s Hospital in “Hospital”? How is his situation described?

4. What happens when William Lee meets Miguel in “Lazarus Go Home”?

5. How does William describe the Vigilante in terms of his “humanity”?

6. What is symbolized by the disease Bang-utot in the narrative?

7. How is the plot structure of “And Start West” different from the plot structures of the other vignettes in the novel?

8. How does William deal with the deaths of his friends in “The Rube”? Why is this significant?

9. What are the two nonhuman creatures described by the author in “The Black Meat”?

10. What is the significance of Vigilante’s character in the novel? How does the Vigilante change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

William’s character is based upon the real life and experiences of author William S. Burroughs. How does the book mirror William S. Burroughs' real life experiences, including running from the law, traveling to exotic locations, and becoming involved in underground drug and homosexual cultures?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss Hassan's Hospital in the narrative. What led to William being held at the hospital? What hallucinations does William describe for those undergoing withdrawal? What does Dr. Benway use as tools in his operation? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the style of the narrative and its relationship to the Beat Generation movement. What stylistic elements arose in the writing of the Beat writers? What was the critical and public response to Naked Lunch?

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