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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 Piranesi believe 16 lives?

2. What does Piranesi call the person the Other says might visit the House in Part II?

3. What does Piranesi notice about the yellow leaf he sees on the waters in Part I?

4. Why does Piranesi venture to the One-Hundred-and-Ninety-Second Western Hall in Part II?

5. What does Piranesi whisper to niches and plinths in Part II, hoping for a sign of recognition?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Other trying to accomplish with Piranesi's help?

2. Why does the Other bring new shoes to Piranesi?

3. How does Laurence Arne-Sayles describe his work in Part I?

4. What is the thing that Piranesi knows but always forgets about his world?

5. What significant suggestion does Piranesi make to the Other about his work in Part II?

6. What is Piranesi's favorite statue, and what does he think it means?

7. What is Piranesi's relationship with the birds in the House?

8. What does the Other tell Piranesi about himself in Part II that shocks and unsettles Piranesi?

9. What is Piranesi determined to explore as much of as he can in his lifetime?

10. What does the other person Piranesi meets in the House in Part II tell him about the Great and Secret Knowledge?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay exploring the concept of so-called "transgressive thinking" as Clarke describes it, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Why is it particularly egregious and cruel that Arne-Sayles encountered Piranesi in the House but did not rescue him right then? How does Piranesi/Matthew Rose Sorensen react to the realization that Arne-Sayles could have, and probably should have, saved him? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

"The Beauty of the House is infinite; its Kindness immeasurable," says Piranesi at the very beginning and very end of the novel (4, 245). Write an essay explaining what Piranesi means by this, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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