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

2. What does Bukowski think the young men in The Big Pot Game do with the language they copy?

3. What does Bukowski's final visitor give him?

4. What does Bukowski discover in A Bad Trip?

5. Why does Bukowski hate the woman who has entered the shop in A Rain of Women?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the idea that every man can be a pest scary in Notes on the Pest?

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

3. How does Bukowski's obsession with death and sex show up in Notes of a Potential Suicide?

4. Why does Bukowski think that current poets and comic strips create their art the way they do?

5. What does Carol do for Gordon to help him in Animal Crackers in My Soup?

6. What does Tina represent in One for Walter Lowenfels?

7. What does the first woman in A Rain of Women remind Bukowski of?

8. What is ironic about Bukowski's observations in A Bad Trip?

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

10. What is Bukowski's idea of justness in his society?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"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 2

"Notes on the Pest" focuses mainly on Bukowski's fans and his relationship with them. How would you describe his relationship with his fans, and how do you think his fans would describe it? You may use examples or evidence from other stories that describe his relationship with his fans.

Essay Topic 3

"Beer and Poets and Talk" displays Bukowski talking about literature freely, which is a rare instance in this collection of stories. What are Bukowski's thoughts on literature, and what does he think of it in comparison to reality? Why does he emphasize either literature or reality over the other? What does the arguing couple remind him of? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

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