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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 Wilhelm expect from his father that he can't seem to get?

2. Wilhelm receives a complaint from Margaret about what?

3. What does Wilhelm think of Mr. Perls?

4. What floor does Mr. Perls live on in the hotel?

5. Who pressured Maurice Venice to give Wilhelm a shot at Hollywood?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Tamkin convince Wilhelm to invest in commodities?

2. What is the importance of this quote in relation to Wilhelm: "Someone had said, and Wilhelm agreed with the saying, that in Los Angeles, all the loose objects in the country were collected, as if America had been tilted and everything that wasn't tightly screwed down had slid into Southern California."?

3. In Chapter 3, Wilhelm talks about his apartment in Roxbury. What appealed to him about this apartment?

4. What is Wilhelm's opinion on city life?

5. Describe the guests at the Hotel Gloriana.

6. How is Dr. Adler's life story different from Wilhelm's?

7. In Chapter 6, what do we learn about Mr. Rappaport's personal life?

8. Why is Wilhelm's relationship with Margaret complicated at this point in the story?

9. In Chapter 7, what is odd about Wilhelm's sobbing at a funeral?

10. How does Wilhelm feel about Mr. Rappaport's chicken industry in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alienation is a motif we see most readily in Wilhelm. He has alienated himself from family, friends, and the world in general.

Part 1) Are there other characters in the book who are also alienated? Which ones? Why would you categorize them as alienated?

Part 2) How does Tamkin take advantage of alienation to serve his own purpose with Wilhelm? Cite specific examples from the text.

Part 3) Would you consider Tamkin to also be alienated? Why or why not? How does this impact the other characters in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the story, the narrator employs metaphor as a literary device to help us better understand the text.

Part 1) Cite a metaphor in the text and how it is used to further that scene, or a character's development.

Part 2) Why does that metaphor help us readers?

Essay Topic 3

Point of view has such a presence in the book that it is almost another character.

Part 1) What point of view does the narrator use in the book? Why is it significant?

Part 2) How does this point of view affect our perception of Wilhelm as a character? Why?

Part 3) How would the book be different if told from a different point of view?

(see the answer keys)

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