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

Short Answer Questions

1. How much money does Tamkin invest?

2. Why is it too late for Wilhelm to make any decisions about Tamkin's character?

3. Who clears two hundred a week by investing only in soy beans?

4. What religion was Dr. Adler during Wilhelm's childhood?

5. According to Tamkin, who had once been "the Rockefeller of the chicken business and had retired with a large fortune"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wilhelm struggles with many things in his life, but above all he appears to have lost his identity.

Part 1) When we meet Wilhelm, he has lost a job. How might this event have contributed to his loss of identity? How does he try to get it back?

Part 2) Wilhelm is also substantially alienated from the characters in the book. Does this alienation affect his inability to find an identity? Why or why not?

Part 3) Wilhelm turns to Tamkin for support in his search for identity. Why does he turn to Tamkin? Do you think Tamkin is qualified to help Wilhelm rediscover his identity? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

As Wilhelm suspected, Tamkin ultimately takes off with his money and leaves him to deal with the fallout. Abandonment is a key motif in the story.

Part 1) How does abandonment affect Wilhelm? Why does Tamkin abandon him? Who else abandons Wilhelm?

Part 2) How does Wilhelm's childhood - specifically his relationship with his father - feed his issues of abandonment?

Part 3) Finally, how does abandonment factor into Wilhelm's own family? How does it relate to Margaret? And Wilhelm's sons?

Essay Topic 3

Dr. Adler and Wilhelm are two important characters in Seize the Day and have a major impact on the course of the story.

Part 1) Compare and contrast the characters of Dr. Adler and Wilhelm. How are they the same? How are they different?

Part 2) How would we see Wilhelm differently if Dr. Adler had never been introduced as a character?

Part 3) Who is the better father, Dr. Adler or Wilhelm? Cite several examples from the book to support your case.

(see the answer keys)

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