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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 Mr. Sneed believe there is no shame in?

2. In Great Poets Die in Steaming Pots of Shit, what does the man that approaches Bukowski do?

3. What state is Bukowski in during the summer in My Stay at the Poet's Cottage?

4. What is Mary taking Mad Jimmy to court for?

5. Where does Bukowski go before he goes to work in Great Poets Die in Steaming Pots of Shit?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Charles Bukowski's character in Doing Time with Public Enemy No. 1.

2. How do pain and violence play a role in Nut Ward East of Hollywood?

3. What distinct human traits are revealed in Rape! Rape!?

4. How does Bukowksi obey social conventions when attending the wedding in The Great Zen Wedding?

5. What does the narrator say he will require of his creative writing students in Goodbye Watson?

6. How does the boyfriend choose to interpret his girlfriend's insult in Too Sensitive?

7. Describe Mr. Sneed in A Dollar and 20 Cents.

8. How is the foreman in Love it or Leave it cruel?

9. What does Bukowski realize in the jail cell in No Stockings?

10. Describe the character of Frank Evans in An Evil Town.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One recurring theme in Tales of Ordinary Men is balance between life and literature. Describe Bukowski's ideas on life and literature from at least two stories from the collection. Which is more important to him, and why? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the stories.

Essay Topic 2

"Animal Crackers in My Soup" has an abrupt and somewhat unusual conclusion. What happens in the conclusion? What does the baby represent? Why does the story end the way it does? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

Essay Topic 3

"A Dollar and 20 Cents" displays a different side of Bukowski with the character being an old, weary man who is too weak to continue living in the world. Why does he feel he cannot continue in the world, and why does he welcome death? Compare and contrast the old man with the young people he conversed with early on in the story. Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

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This section contains 700 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample