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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 keep hidden in the basement for the purpose of pleasuring himself?

2. What does the narrator's mother do when he does something wrong?

3. What is the term used for a non-Jewish girl?

4. What was in the letter that Ronald Nimkin left as his final words to his mother?

5. What is the name of the narrator's sister's husband?

Short Essay Questions

1. About what do the narrator's parents coddle him regarding his knee in Chapter 4?

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

3. Where does the narrator's father work? What line of business is he in? Where is his "route?"

4. What does the narrator say he grew up to NOT be, at least, in Chapter 4? Why?

5. What does Alex remark about his father's bowel movements in Chapter 4?

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

7. What does the narrator speak of regarding his humiliations with his mother as a child in Chapter 3?

8. What body-related incidents does the narrator recall in Chapter 3?

9. What story does Alex tell about his mother and lobster?

10. How does the narrator feel about the laws of Judaism?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the plot structure of Portnoy's Complaint. How is this novel constructed differently than the traditional structure of literature? How can one determine the rising action, climax, and falling action in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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