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

2. What kind of car did the narrator and Monkey rent on their trip?

3. What is the name of the woman whom the narrator dates in Connecticut?

4. How old is the girl whom the main character has his first sexual experience?

5. Where did the narrator go on a trip with the Monkey?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Alex describe as the first of the shikses he had a relationship with? What attracted him to her?

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. How does Alex describe the "Sunday morning ritual" in his neighborhood?

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

10. What does the memories of the Monkey conjure in Alex's memory in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

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

Compare and contrast the character of Naomi with that of the narrator's mother. How are these two women similar? How are they different? How does the narrator feel about this connection?

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