View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. After leaving general surgery, which of the following did Dr. Benway specialize in?

2. In Chapter 7, who does William claim is a junkie?

3. What subway train does William take uptown in Chapter 1?

4. What is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How are the setting and characters described in the beginning of “Hassan’s Rumpus Room”?

2. Where is William traveling in the beginning of “The Rube”? How does the Rube die?

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

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

5. William looks down on the other passengers of the bus because they do not know anything about the drug subculture but pretend to in “And Start West.” Why is this significant to the novel’s themes?

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

7. What does the character of Joselito represent symbolically?

8. How is the setting of “Campus of Interzone University” described? What is the Professor lecturing about at the beginning of the chapter?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the symbolism of Bang-utot and the themes of sexuality and counterculture in the novel. How are homosexuality and homosexual acts dealt with by the author? What do you think William S. Burroughs’s statements about sexuality imply?

Essay Topic 2

The novel was the first of its kind to use graphic, sexual language. As a reader, what is the effect of the graphic descriptions of sex and violence? How would these factors contribute to the initial public reception of the book in the 1950s?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the pop culture influences of Naked Lunch. What musicians and bands have named themselves from characters or events in the novel? What does this say about the novel’s impact on American subculture and mainstream culture?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 809 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample