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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 nickname is given to Max Beerbohm?

2. Who wrote "Such, Such Were the Joys..."?

3. When was Junichiro Tanizaki born?

4. How does Lu Hsun's work create trouble for him?

5. Who wrote "Walking"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the subject of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Crack-Up?" What extended metaphor does he use?

2. Describe the important events in Lu Hsun's life that impacted his personal essays.

3. What kind of literature did Virginia Woolf write? What was a common focus that united her work?

4. What is Orwell's "Such, Such Were the Joys..." about? What complaints does Orwell have about the subject?

5. What subject dominated the writings of George Orwell? Name three specific things George Orwell wrote about.

6. What tone is Max Beerbohm famous for in his essays?

7. What tone does Mary McCarthy use in "My Confession?" How does she approach herself as well as the subjects of her essays?

8. What views is Henry David Thoreau well known for? How did he believe one should live one's life?

9. What is Ivan Turgenev's opinion of capital punishment? How did Turgenev believe servants should be treated?

10. What is Junichiro Tanizaki's contribution to world literature? How has Tanizaki's writing style been characterized?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Hashish in Marseilles" by Walter Benjamin and "Under the Influence" by Scott Russell Sanders both speak about substance abuse.

A) How does Benjamin's attitude about substance compare to Sanders'? How might biographical details help to inform us about the formulation of these attitudes?

B) What does each man take away from the substance abuse they have experienced? What might their message for the reader be?

Essay Topic 2

Journeying is the topic of Henry David Thoreau's "Walking" and William Hazlitt's "On Going a Journey."

A) What is the nature of the "journey" each man takes? Is the journey physical, spiritual, philosophical?

B) How might each man's journey be applied to larger life issues?

Essay Topic 3

Montaigne provides a number of views and personal opinions in the essays selected for the book.

A) What is Montaigne's view of human nature in general? Cite quotations from "Of Books" to support your assertion.

B) What is Montaigne's view of education? Cite quotations from "Of Books" and "On Some Verses of Virgil" to support your assertion.

C) What is Montaigne's view of abnormality, according to "Of a Monstrous Child"?

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