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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 is the name of the girl whom the protagonist has his first sexual experience?

2. Who wrote the essay, "The Most Prevalent Form of Degradation in Erotic Life"?

3. Who was the narrator's girl friend at Antioch?

4. Where do the narrator and the Monkey stop to take pictures on their trip?

5. Where was Kay from?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Alex suggest that the Monkey says are his worst sins?

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

5. What happened on the trip with the Monkey that began to change their relationship?

6. What is the title of Chapter 5? What does this refer to?

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

8. What attracts Alex to Naomi? How does he express his feelings for her?

9. How does the narrator's first sexual experience occur with Bubbles?

10. What does Alex remark about Israel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Portnoy's parents. How do his mother and father compare as role models? Who is the dominant figure? How does the protagonist feel about each parent?

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

What does the narrator say regarding the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud? Why is this relevant to the novel? What chapter is named after the writings of Freud? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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