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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. Who is William Everett Hunton?

2. Which place did the narrator often visit across the street from the prep school?

3. What is notable about Morris?

4. In what year is the narrator at the school in #49?

5. "The Beautiful Room is Empty" takes place during the 1950s and 1960s in which country?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why did the narrator decide to study Chinese?

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

4. What does the narrator think about when he watches Tex and Morris interact?

5. What is the double-edged sword of the narrator experiencing gay sexual activity?

6. What is the premise of "The Beautiful Room is Empty"?

7. With whom does the narrator have his first gay sexual experience and how does he feel about it afterward?

8. How did the struggle for acceptance and freedom for lesbians differ from that of gay men?

9. How does the narrator's coming of age as a gay man mirror the coming of age of an entire gay community?

10. How does the narrator categorize his life during his first year at college?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Maria. What are her physical characteristics? What are her motivations? What are her fears? What are her dreams? What else can you say about Maria?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one theme in the book. Identify at least two themes in the book. Then cite an example to support each theme you name.

Essay Topic 3

"The Beautiful Room is Empty" is a classic coming of age story. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

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