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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. According to "Screwjack's" narrator, what "drove me crazy as I carried him in my arms to the front door"?

2. What color are Mr. Screwjack's eyes?

3. Who had failed in discussing the Packers?

4. What had the second narrator been doing with the cat just moments before in "Screwjack"?

5. What did Mr. Screwjack give the narrator "under the chin"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Screwjack do to the second narrator?

2. What lines open "Death of a Poet"? To whom are they attributed?

3. What happened when Duke threw Screwjack out?

4. What other work had Thompson written centering on the character F.X. Leach?

5. What had the narrator just done with Screwjack in the beginning of the story?

6. Who "wrote" the opening chapter of "Screwjack"? What exposition is revealed here?

7. Describe the individual, F.X. Leach. What was his occupation? How did the narrator of "Death of a Poet" know him?

8. What surprise news did Leach break on the narrator in "Death of a Poet"?

9. Who is described in the beginning of the letter in "Screwjack"?

10. How is the narrative style of "Screwjack" similar to the other stories in the collection? How does it differ?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the conflicts faced by the protagonist in "Mescalito." What was the central conflict Thompson faced in the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Oscar in "Mescalito." What role did Oscar serve in the plot of the narrative? What did he represent symbolically to Thompson?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the theme of addiction and abuse in "Mescalito." What symbolism and imagery supports this theme?

(see the answer keys)

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