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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. Where does William travel to using skid row?

2. What does Andrew Keif do for a living?

3. What word refers to a castrated man or boy?

4. When the boy asks the Sailor if he’s an agent, the Sailor responds that he prefers what word?

5. What is William trying to avoid in his court case?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens after Carl falls asleep in the doctor’s office in “The Examination”?

2. What is symbolic about Carl’s appointment in “The Examination”?

3. How does the setting of “A.J.’s Annual Party” relate to “Hassan’s Rumpus Room”?

4. What do the different political groups symbolize in “Islam Incorporated and the Parties of Interzone”?

5. Where is Queens Plaza located? How does this setting relate to the other settings in the novel?

6. Where does the Sailor take the boy in “The Exterminator Does a Good Job”? Why?

7. What does the Party Leader discuss in “Ordinary Men and Women”?

8. Who are Aracknid and Andrew Keif?

9. Where does William Lee go after shooting Hauser and O’Brien? Why?

10. How does the author broach the theme of reality versus hallucination in “The Examination”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the place of the medical establishments in the novel, particularly in the case of Dr. Benway and Dr. Schafer. How do they compare? In what ways are Dr. Benway and Dr. Schafer different in their ideals?

(see the answer keys)

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