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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. Howie's first reason that it is okay for brain cells to die is that it's part of a necessary ______.

2. What does Howie describe in great detail at the beginning of Chapter 2?

3. What is inside Howie's CVS bag?

4. An image of __________ gave Howie the idea for his deodorant discovery.

5. Howie has an awkward moment with Tina over a _________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What compelling realization does Howie remember when driving behind a garbage truck when he is thirty?

2. What is awkward about Howie trying to sign the poster Tina has gotten for Ray the janitor?

3. What are Howie's observations about shoes and feet at work?

4. Howie does Howie's shoelace break?

5. Where is Howie when he believes that his great period of growth as a human has ended?

6. What is the theory that Howie calls the "walking-flexion" model?

7. Why does Howie consider the purchase of a rubber stamp to be one of his advancements?

8. What are Howie's thoughts on shopping bags?

9. What does breaking his shoelace remind Howie of?

10. Why does Howie purchase a milk carton at Papa Gino's?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Howie and Marcus Aurelius. What is the significance of Howie's fascination with Aurelius?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the literary impressionism used in the novel and the overall effect it creates.

Essay Topic 3

Has Baker achieved a literary work of profound complexity or is "The Mezzanine" a trivial novel, completely lacking in plot? Explain your view based on evidence in the novel.

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