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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. During Max's job interview, on what does he sit?

2. What does Max discover on the ground outside his failed audition in Chapter Nine?

3. What cosmetic product does Peggy Jean purchase at a pharmacy after receiving an e-mail from her critical fan?

4. What type of jewelry does Peggy Jean's program sell?

5. How does Peggy Jean cope with the stress from the meal incident on the plane?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do you think Peggy Jean asks her neighbor Tina about adding the potato chips to the tuna casserole?

2. After her time in rehab, what type of volunteer work does Peggy Jean start doing and why is this significant?

3. What does a fellow patient in rehab tell Peggy Jean is the real reason Peggy Jean became an addict?

4. What do you think will happen once Adele knows she does not have any Native American ancestry?

5. What is significant about the gift that Eliot sends to Bebe after their first date?

6. Why is Max fired from the channel?

7. Do you think that Ricky is being honest that the "Silly Putty" his mother finds is really plastic explosive? Why or why not?

8. Why was Max not wearing underwear at the beginning of the book?

9. While Max's mother is ironing one day, why does she pass out?

10. Do you think there is any significance to the name of the place that Bebe and her date will be meeting for the first time? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel often mentions beverages when describing scenes. Examine what beverages are mentioned and what purpose that serves. Purposes will be different in different scenes. For example, the latte that Miguel spills on Max has a very different function than the sip of Lemon Zinger tea Trish has in the staff room.

Essay Topic 2

The tone of the novel is biting social commentary masked in humor that is often sarcastic, with occasional serious moments or scenes. How would the novel be different if it was written in a solely serious tone? When writing your response, consider how character development, plot events, and reader reception would be affected by a change in the novel's tone.

Essay Topic 3

In class you discussed the structure of the novel (chapter lengths, internal divisions of the chapters, etc.). The chapters were simply numbered with no titles. Why might the author have decided to use numbers and no titles? What are the benefits and disadvantages of this set-up for the reader? You may find it helpful, when structuring your response, to select one or two chapters and create titles for them, and use them as examples. (Sample: "If Burroughs had titled the first chapter 'Introduction,' one benefit for the reader would be...")

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