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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 Mailer tell Fontain about his arrest in Chapter 1?

2. What is Mailer worried about missing at the beginning of Chapter 8?

3. How does Mailer plead at his lawyer's suggestion?

4. What type of quasi-religious ceremony does the music group perform in Chapter 5?

5. In what month is the March held?

Short Essay Questions

1. What permits does the Mobilization Committee get in Chapter 4?

2. Why is the Vietnam War fought, according to Mailer in Chapter 7?

3. What fracas does Mailer get into in Chapter 2?

4. How does Mailer fair in court in Chapter 9?

5. What train of people following the the march in Chapter 4?

6. What conclusion does Mailer draw from two articles at the end of Chapter 6?

7. Describe Norman Mailer's arrest in Chapter 6?

8. How is the crowd becoming unruly in Chapter 4?

9. Describe the scene in Occaquan at the beginning of Chapter 6.

10. How does Mailer determine it is time to get arrested at the end of Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the use of stream-of-consciousness and free association in the narration of Armies of the Night. When are these modernist tools used most prevalently? To what extent do they appear when Mailer the character is swept up in some phenomenal experience? What does this style of narration say about Norman Mailer's state of mind? In the second half of the essay, discuss what Mailer most frequently associates toward. What does this say about his goals as an author in writing this novel?

Essay Topic 2

Norman Mailer is an arrogant, hard-living, patently cynical person, but he cares passionately about what others think of him. When he sees someone who is more respected or more famous, Mailer is stricken with a combination of fascination and maddened jealousy. Write an essay about three such individuals. How does the narrative juxtapose these people with the character of Mailer? How does he react to them? Do they inspire anger, respect, or some combination of both in him?

Part 1) Robert Lowell

Part 2) William Sloane Coffin

Part 3) Noam Chomsky

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, New York and Washington, DC, are distinctly juxtaposed where one is a place of planning and thought and the other place of action of danger. Write an essay about the juxtaposition of these two cities. Which character best typifies the aesthetic of New York, in your opinion? Which character best typifies DC? What is the significance of the fact that many of the notables spend Saturday attempting to get back to New York for a society party? What does it mean that Mailer soon forgets about this goal?

(see the answer keys)

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