View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How old was the narrator in 1950?

2. Why does the narrator go to Irvington Park to ice skate?

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

4. Who is the renowned columnist whom the narrator speaks of having shaken his hand?

5. What irritates the narrator about the way the Monkey reads?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Who is the second shikse Alex speaks about being involved with in Chapter 5? How is she described?

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

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

10. What happened with Mandel and Bubbles? What does this prompt the narrator to need to know?

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

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 3

Discuss the phrase "Living a Jewish Joke." How does this resonate as an important element of Portnoy's Complaint? How does the ending of the novel revisit this line?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 799 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample