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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 does Beth give Josh for his trip to the cemetery?

2. What is Josh's stepfather's business?

3. What claim do people make about Josh Swensen?

4. When did Josh start to limit his possessions?

5. Who is Todd?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Josh go for a 'whole new level of solitude' when he wants to think?

2. What does Tashjian foreshadow in the beginning of Part 2?

3. What is the importance of the epigraph for Part 1?

4. What is Beth asking Josh to do when the novel opens?

5. Where does 'The Gospel According to Larry' begin?

6. What is Josh's answer when Tashjian warns him that publishing the book will renew his troubles?

7. What motivated Josh to adopt an anti-consumerist message?

8. What is the relationship between Josh and Beth?

9. Describe Josh's visit to the cemetery with Peter.

10. Who is Janet Tashjian?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Does Josh claim to be a messiah, or just a guide? Does he want people to follow his way, or just to follow their own way? How does he account for people whose decisions would be different from his?

Essay Topic 2

Write an evaluative review of 'The Gospel According to Larry'. What are this book's uses? What are its limitations? Who is its audience?

Essay Topic 3

How would 'The Gospel According to Larry' be different if it were told from a woman's perspective? What if betagold or Beth told the story? What if Josh were female? How would the story be different?

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This section contains 560 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample