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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the narrator call the act of writing when he begins to view it as unappealing?
(a) Unoriginal.
(b) Tedium.
(c) Stoic.
(d) Common.

2. Why does the narrator contend that a person cannot truly love another person?
(a) It is impossible to respect humanity.
(b) A person cannot own another person.
(c) It is impossible to fear a mere human.
(d) A person never really knows another person.

3. Why does the narrator "remember" things that never even happened to him?
(a) Because he is incredibly creative.
(b) Because he is a pathological liar.
(c) Because his mother did that too.
(d) Because of the joy it brings him.

4. Where was the manuscript for this book discovered?
(a) In a car.
(b) In a trunk.
(c) Hidden in a basement.
(d) Between pages of a dictionary.

5. Who does the narrator say should be banned to an island?
(a) All intelligent people.
(b) All stupid people.
(c) All rich people.
(d) All poor people.

6. What remained constant about the scales the girl played on her instrument when she lived above the narrator?
(a) She played at the same time every day.
(b) The pitch.
(c) The monotonous rhythm.
(d) She always got them wrong.

7. Whose life is like a ball of tangled yarn?
(a) Religious group members.
(b) Common people's.
(c) Soares's.
(d) Intelligent people's.

8. Even though most people make him sick, why does the narrator still love fellow man?
(a) For their ability to be happy.
(b) For the respect they show him.
(c) Out of the kindness of his own heart.
(d) For the fact that he isn't like them.

9. When did the author complete The Book of Disquiet?
(a) While being hospitalized.
(b) After getting fired.
(c) Never.
(d) Before being hospitalized.

10. What does the narrator say is done not only to the body, but also to the soul?
(a) The act of tedium.
(b) The act of fighting.
(c) The act of acting.
(d) The act of clothing.

11. From what area does Omar Khayyám hail?
(a) America.
(b) Persia.
(c) France.
(d) Russia.

12. Where are the objects of nature located that the narrator discusses when he describes Spring?
(a) The city.
(b) England.
(c) The country.
(d) The suburbs.

13. What does the author meditate on regarding the people who disappear from his life?
(a) The pain they must feel when leaving.
(b) The suffering he has endured.
(c) The suffering they must have endured.
(d) The nostalgia he feels for them.

14. In Section 481, what is the location of comfort and familiarity that the narrator is experiencing?
(a) A barber shop.
(b) A retail store.
(c) A vegetable market.
(d) A fruit stand.

15. What does the narrator say he believes readers might think he is at the end of the book?
(a) A dreamer.
(b) A writer of classics.
(c) A jerk.
(d) A poet.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many sections does The Book of Disquiet have?

2. What does the narrator say a person must do in order to truly love something?

3. What does the author advise people to do if they feel they must disclose information about themselves to others?

4. According to the narrator, what do all intelligent men believe about God?

5. Who does the narrator believe is the only one who knows his heart?

(see the answer keys)

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