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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. Who enters the bathroom, causing Howie to have urination issues?

2. What does Howie discuss in his last footnote in Chapter 13?

3. What sound does Chapter 10 begin with?

4. Who told Howie he should never eat and drink at the same time?

5. The vending machine thoughts include a footnote about _______.

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way does Howie consider life to be like footnotes?

2. What is Howie's dilemma in the men's bathroom?

3. Why does Howie eventually stop trying to walk up or down the escalator?

4. What does Howie notice about tunes whistled in the men's room?

5. Why does Howie consider CVS to be the diary of stores?

6. What observations does Howie make about vending machines?

7. What activity does Howie describe that both he and L take part in when alone in an elevator?

8. What are some of the odd personal habits of various philosophers that Howie describes?

9. What does Howie consider to be the dishonesty of the World Dryer Corporation?

10. What is one of Howie's favorite games to play on the escalator?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the aesthetic distance created in the novel and the reader's experience of spending the entire time inside Howie's thoughts.

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