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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. The protagonist of the story wants a career as a/an __________________.

2. The narrator feels like a/an ________________ to his life and family.

3. The narrator's stepmother could best be described as ____________________.

4. Which religion does the narrator believe in?

5. What does Tex complain to the narrator about in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of Betty and Kay to the narrator's life?

2. What role does Dr. O'Reilly serve in the narrator's life?

3. Describe the narrator's first year experiences at college.

4. What does the narrator realize about himself over the course of the novel?

5. How does the narrator compare his life to the life of the Chinese woman he meets?

6. How does the longing for approval manifest in the narrator's life?

7. How is Buddhism connected to the narrator's seemingly paradoxical desires for sex with men and also freedom from that desire.

8. From what written piece is the name of the book taken, and what does it mean?

9. With whom does the narrator engage in heterosexual activity and what was the basis for the connections?

10. Why does the narrator long to be heterosexual, especially when he sees the irresponsible behavior of his heterosexual fraternity brothers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of the narrator. What are his physical characteristics? What are his motivations? What are his fears? What are his dreams? What else can you say about the narrator?

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of the narrator's name not being identified? Why does the author leave the narrator nameless with the exception of Lou who calls the narrator "Bunny"? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for the lives of the narrator and three other characters. Be sure to incorporate personal, political and cultural impacts on the characters' lives.

(see the answer keys)

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