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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 controlled the family's response to being ostracized by the community?

2. What did Sortini order Amalia to do in his letter?

3. What does Buergel do when K. stumbles into his room?

4. What type of interrogations does Buergel say are best for the person being interrogated?

5. What did Amalia do with Sortini's letter?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Barnabas say about Klamm's appearance?

2. What did Olga do to try to remove her family's disgrace?

3. What did the townspeople do after Amalia's disobedience became known?

4. What reason does Erlanger give K. the request Erlanger is making during the meeting?

5. What reason does Amalia give K. that he will have to come visit them more often?

6. When does K. plan on visiting Hans' mother?

7. Where do Jeremias and Frieda go to work after K. leaves?

8. What does Amalia accuse K. of using Barnabas for?

9. What is Frieda doing for Jeremias at the end of Chapter XXII?

10. What does Buergel say might happen at a meeting in the middle of the night?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

In the novel, the motivations of people are often open to question. Discuss the significance of the ambiguity of characters' motivations.

1) Are K.'s motivations clear? What are his possible motivations for being with Frieda? Do his motivations make a difference? What do you think of K.'s argument that his motivations don't necessarily matter?

2) What are conflicting reports of Frieda's motivations? How ambiguous are her motives? How important is it that other people can't necessarily ever fully understand her motivations?

3) How does the obscurity of the workings of the Castle compare to the obscurity of the motives of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss insults in the novel.

1) Amalia perceives the letter she receives as an insult. Why does she have this perception? How does she respond to it? Could it be interpreted in any other way? Would the rest of the culture see the letter as an insult?

2) Amalia insults both the official and the secretary when she tears up the letter and throws it at the secretary. How do their feelings of being insulted compare to Amalia's? What are the consequences of both insults?

3) In what other situations do characters feel insulted? What are the causes and results of insults, and what role does this play in the culture of the village?

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