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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 reason does K. suggest for the landlady's reluctance to have him talk to Klamm?

2. What is K.'s first reaction to the job offer?

3. When does K. tell Frieda's mother that he plans to marry Frieda?

4. What is the attitude of the people in the house toward K.?

5. What is K. asked to get out of Klamm's sleigh?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does K. do to get fuel for a fire?

2. What reason does K. give for refusing to let the assistants come back?

3. How does K. feel in the village?

4. What happens when K. first wakes up the morning after meeting Frieda?

5. What do Artur and Jeremias know about land surveying?

6. How does K. discover that Klamm is staying at the Gentlemen's Inn?

7. How does K. react to the gentleman who comes to the coach while K. is there waiting?

8. How does the Castle react to inquiries about K. when he first arrives?

9. What does K. ask Frieda about when he first meets her?

10. What does K. suspect about Frieda, at the end of Chapter XII?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the goals and aims of the characters in the novel prove futile. Discuss futility in the novel.

1) When Amalia's father tries to change the fate of his ostracized family, his quest is futile. Why is his quest futile? Why does he continue to strive for it, even though he loses all his money in bribes?

2) K.'s quest to see Klamm seems futile. What makes his quest unsuccessful? Can he have any control over his quest? Why does he continue to try to see K.?

3) What other characters face futility, and what do they do when faced with futility?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of social rules and pressure in THE CASTLE.

1) How does the community impose unwritten laws in THE CASTLE?

2) What are the consequences of defying unwritten laws in THE CASTLE? How do the consequences differ for K. and for Amalia's family?

3) What are the benefits and drawbacks of social conformity in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, the characters desire favors from the upper class. Favors allow characters to get ahead in life, but both how they are acquired and whether they are deserved is ill-defined. Discuss the role of favors in the novel.

1) Is the lease of the Bridge Inn and the marriage between the landlady and landlord all a favor from Klamm to the landlady? In what ways is it ambiguous? What role does Klamm play in the landlady receiving these things?

2) What does K. expect to receive from Klamm? What does he believe you need to do to receive a favor?

3) What are characters in the novel willing to do for favors? Under what circumstances do the characters receive good things? Is it related to their actions?

(see the answer keys)

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