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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 is the name of the orangutan in Animal Crackers in My Soup?

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

3. What does Bukowski notice on his hands at the end of The Blanket?

4. Where does Bukowski go after the mechanic?

5. Who does Bukowski go out with in Notes of a Potential Suicide?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does a pest do, according to Bukowski in Notes on the Pest?

2. Why does Bukowski welcome death in A Popular Man?

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

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

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

6. Why does Bukowski not go to the race track as planned in A Rain of Women?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "I Shot a Man in Reno," runs into several people that cause him to be very self-critical. Why is Bukowski so self-critical? How do his own ideas of himself contrast with the ideas others have of him? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

Essay Topic 2

"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.

Essay Topic 3

Insanity is a theme that runs throughout many stories in Tales of Ordinary Madness, but it is especially prominent in "Night Streets of Madness." How is insanity displayed in this story? Give at least two examples. What does Bukowski think of these insane actions? Which act of insanity is the worst in Bukwoski's opinion? Make sure you answer each question with evidence and support from the story.

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