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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. How does Bukowski discover what he does in A Bad Trip?

2. What are the young men in The Big Pot Game high on?

3. In Note of a Potential Suicide, what event does Bukowksi remember attending as a boy?

4. Where had Bukowski planned on going after the mechanic?

5. What does Bukowski discover in A Bad Trip?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the murder of Carol's zoo in Animal Crackers in My Soup represent?

2. What happens when Bukowski is discovered with Mary in Purple as an Iris?

3. What does Bukowski think of sex in Purple as an Iris?

4. What does Bukowski hallucinate, and what is it associated with in The Blanket?

5. Why does Bukowski cry after burning the blanket in The Blanket?

6. What else does Bukowski realize about himself when he sees Luke in I Shot a Man in Reno?

7. What is different about Beer and Poets and Talk than the other short stories in Tales of Ordinary Madness?

8. What does Bukowski think of people's taste in music?

9. What happens at the end of the Flower Horse?

10. Describe the woman in One for Walter Lowenfels.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though all his stories are about humans, Bukowski continues to display how inhumane man can be, and "Love it or Leave it" displays the brutality of man. What acts of brutality or displayed in the story? Give at least two examples. Which act of brutality was the worst, and why? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

Essay Topic 2

"Reunion" and "Cunt and Kant and a Happy Home" both contain characters with an addiction--one has an addiction to alcohol, while the other has a gambling addiction. How do each characters' addiction affect their life? Does it affect anyone around them, and if so, how? Describe the cycle of addiction as seen in the stories. Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the stories.

Essay Topic 3

"The Stupid Christs" is one of a few short stories in the collection that has a discernible beginning, middle, and end that make up the plot. What kind of progress does Dan make through the plot of the story? What changes, and what doesn't change? What themes are associated with each section of the plot (beginning, middle, and end)? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

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