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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 is the title of Nathan's story?

2. How old is the narrator at the beginning of Chapter 1?

3. Where does Nathan go to be interviewed for his college admissions letter?

4. How long was Lonoff in New York?

5. What does Betsy do for her art?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Zuckerman contact Lonoff?

2. What is one of the most admirable things about Lonoff for Zuckerman?

3. What response does Zuckerman get when he mentions Lonoff's name at a publishing party?

4. Why does Zuckerman say he stays up in Lonoff's study?

5. Describe the Zuckerman family's typical Sunday brunch.

6. What is pinned to the bulletin board in Lonoff's office?

7. How does Zuckerman come to Quahsay?

8. How does the trouble between Zuckerman and his father begin, according to Zuckerman in Chapter 2?

9. What does Zuckerman's father not like about the "Higher Education" story?

10. What earlier connection does Zuckerman have to Judge Wapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "The Ghost Writer", there is a reference to Henry James' "The Middle Years." Zuckerman comes across the following quote in James' story: "We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." Write a response exploring the relevance of this quote to the story. What does the quote mean? How does it connect to the book? Use specific references to the text in the response.

Essay Topic 2

Roth, a Jewish writer, also uses Jewish characters in his story. Those characters, in turn, reference other Jews and Jewish traditions and beliefs. Write a response exploring the importance of Zuckerman's repeated references to Anne Frank in light of being Jewish. Use specific references to the story in the response.

Essay Topic 3

In "The Ghost Writer," Roth explores the idea of an author's responsibility to his subjects and characters. Write a response exploring how this idea of responsibility is portrayed in the story. How does Roth connect this idea to the characters in the story? How is Roth responsible for the subjects and characters in the story? How are the writers in the story responsible for their own subjects and characters? Use specific references to the text in the response.

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