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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 solicits Penny for sex when she is leaving after arguing with Rob?

2. In what country does Sorry say she is a citizen?

3. What is Norm's last name?

4. What kind of activist does Rob claim to be when Penny first meets him at the Nicotine house?

5. Where does Penny say her more distant brother lives in 2016?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Naomi? What are Penny's and Norm's thoughts about her?

2. Who is Rob and how does Penny meet him?

3. Where is the opening scene of the novel set? What is the significance of this setting?

4. Where is Norm's childhood home located? What is its history?

5. What is the main event that takes place in the scene from 2005? Why is this event significant?

6. How is Matt's relationship with his father characterized in 2005?

7. Who is present when Norm dies? How is this event described?

8. What happens when Norm encounters Schubert in 2016? How does Penny interpret this action?

9. What is the symbolic significance of the water glasses that recur in the story?

10. What is the relationship like between Matt and Penny?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the journey made by Rob, Jazz, and Sorry in the novel. Where do they go? Why are they fleeing Jersey City? What destination do they finally arrive at? Where do they go in the ending of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the symbolism of nicotine in the novel. What does nicotine in its various forms (chew, cigarettes, cigars, etc.) represent to the main characters? Why is the squatter house named Nicotine? How does irony apply to this name?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the plot structure of Nicotine. What inciting incident kicks off the story? Where does the climax occur? What information is related in the falling action and denouement of the plot? How "traditional" is this plot structure?

(see the answer keys)

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