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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. When Sunny is covered in the pinstripe clothes, what does Violet compare her to?

2. According to the narrator, what is an alternative meaning of 'mixed bag"?

3. According to Mr. Squalor, what is his wife most attentive to?

4. What does Klaus hope his new guardians will have for him when he gets to the apartment?

5. What can the orphans hear from behind the doors on each floor?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the meaning of "nervous" and "anxious" important to the reader's understanding of the novel?

2. Why is it important to know that Jerome Squalor could have adopted the Baudelaire children earlier but did not because orphans were not "in"?

3. How does the author illustrate the differences between Esme and Jerome Squalor?

4. What is significant about the doorman's comments that all problems have a solution, and the solution is sometimes under the nose?

5. Why does the narrator compare the Baudelaire children's experience at the Squalor's house as a mixed bag?

6. How does the atmosphere on Dark Avenue mirror the orphans' feelings in Chapter 1?

7. What is the significance of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale to the Baudelaire's search for Gunther in the penthouse?

8. What is significant about the Squalor library and its inventory?

9. Why are the references to the King of Arizona important to the story?

10. Why does Violet stop arguing with Esme about Gunther's true identity?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of the novel, the Baudelaire children are forced to climb a staircase in the darkness with randomly placed candles for small pockets of light. As they move up the staircase, they frequently come across others in apartment building, shadows behind closed doors that make occasionally make noises of life. How is this single scene a symbol of the Baudelaire children's past "shadows" and dread? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

How does the location of the Squalor's apartment foreshadow the events of the story? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

The theme of what's in and out is prevalent throughout the novel. Select three of the major characters and explain how they experience the effects of in and out and acceptance. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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