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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 say that his Rabbi smelled like?

2. What does the narrator demand from Mandel at the end of Chapter 4?

3. What had the Monkey once been?

4. What does the Monkey fantasize about on the drive back after their trip?

5. How old is the narrator in 1946?

Short Essay Questions

1. What story does Alex tell of the Monkey with the married couple?

2. How did Alex feel about having "a real" relationship with the Monkey?

3. What does Alex say about the photo of Jesus in Bubbles's house?

4. Why did Alex and Kay almost marry? What caused him to end the relationship?

5. What does the narrator recall which might be "the root of his problems" in Chapter 4 regarding his mother?

6. What does the narrator retell about the burlesque show in Chapter 4?

7. What, according to the narrator, are the worst sins he has committed in Chapter 4?

8. When do the narrator's doubts about the Monkey reach a climax?

9. What does the narrator say about the Monkey's life story in Chapter 4?

10. What does the Monkey fantasize about while returning from their trip? How does Alex ruin this mood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the different types of conflict in Portnoy's Complaint. What is the predominant conflict of the novel? What are some of the conflicts the narrator describes between himself and others?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the Oedipus Complex as it applies to the main character of Portnoy's Complaint. What emotions and experiences support this theme?

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