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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. What does the narrator's mother threaten him with when he refuses to eat dinner?

2. What does the narrator say he's the son in?

3. What does the narrator's mother give the cleaning lady for lunch?

4. In Chapter 4, where did the narrator break up with his previous girlfriend?

5. Who tells the narrator, "They worship a Jew, do you know that?"

Short Essay Questions

1. What resentments does the narrator recall following the family's move from Jersey City?

2. What story does the narrator tell about Ronald Nimkin?

3. How did the narrator's father feel about his job? How did he express his feelings to his family?

4. What does Alex say his parents complain about regarding his sister and her husband in Chapter 4?

5. Who does the main character think all of his teachers are in disguise? Why?

6. What became of the narrator's cousin? Why?

7. What does the narrator suspect about the shikse who came to his family's house? Why?

8. What are the protagonist's principle memories of his father from early childhood?

9. Who is the shikse who came to the young Alex's family's home? Why?

10. What does the narrator's father urge him to take lessons in? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the misogynistic elements of the novel and particularly those of the main character. How does Alex's behavior toward women exude misogynist traits? How does his phraseology?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the story of The Monkey. How does the timeline of actual events differ with the narrative of the protagonist? What does this inform us of Alex's character?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the role of the character of Dr. Spielvogel in the novel. What literary device does this character embody?

(see the answer keys)

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