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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 says all of these have gone through disorienting changes EXCEPT one.

2. Howie's fifth major advance has to do with _____.

3. What did Howie's father hang on the doorknobs of their home?

4. Howie's fascination with clothing short-cuts started with watching _____.

5. Howie describes all the following transport systems EXCEPT one:

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Howie describe the experience of opening a package of shirts from the dry cleaners?

2. How does Howie celebrate what he considers to be the realization that he is an adult?

3. What is Howie's feeling about ice cube trays?

4. What point is Howie trying to make in his footnote about doorknobs?

5. What does breaking his shoelace remind Howie of?

6. What does Howie mean by "the rule of nostalgia"?

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

8. What were the "systems of local transport" that Howie liked as a child?

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

10. How does "The Mezzanine" begin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What profound insight does Howie achieve through his stream of consciousness while riding the subway? Could he have had this same insight without the constant stream of trivial thoughts? Is his realization truly profound, transcending the triviality of his mundane thoughts?

Essay Topic 2

What is the climax of the book in Chapter 14? How does this tiny moment define the entire novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss both the narrative tone and structure of this story and their impact on the reader's experience.

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