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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. After Lou is engaged, he calls the narrator to tell him that ________________________.

2. Why does Lou tell the narrator that Lou wants to get married?

3. How does the narrator feel about the criticism of the person in #102?

4. How does the narrator describe the hair of the girl on the subway?

5. Lou and Maria both know that the narrator ___________________ Sean.

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the poverty-stricken lives of Betts and Buddy mirror the social deprivation during the times they lived through?

2. How can the raid on the Stonewall Inn be both a beginning and an ending of a gay rights movement?

3. What does the narrator experience for the first time after a sexual encounter in a subway restroom that he has never experienced before?

4. What is the narrator's life like after he moves to New York?

5. How does the relationship between Maria and the narrator change when she moves to New York?

6. How do the narrator's views of himself change according to whose perspective he is viewed in?

7. Why is Lou desperate to get married and how does the narrator help him?

8. How can Sean's "subhuman" comment be viewed in another context regarding the narrator's letting go of the shame he used to have for his behavior and desires?

9. How does the narrator feel about Lou's criticism of the narrator's work?

10. What is the significance of the narrator's sister's visit and her revelation of being a lesbian?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"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.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the role of gays and lesbians in the 1960s. What precedents were they forced to follow? What restrictions did they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century gays and lesbians do not have?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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