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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 notable about Bukowski's time at the track in "The Beginner?"

2. What do Tony and Bill do to the corpse before disposing of it at the end of the story?

3. What is Jeff and Bukowski's favorite bar?

4. According to the patients at the institution, what probably drove the man who claims to be president (though looks like Hitler) crazy?

5. According to the U.S. State Department, what protects American citizens?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the ironic encounter between Mason and the waiter at the end of "All the Great Writers."

2. What leads up to Bukowski never seeing Jeff again in "A Drinking Partner?"

3. What is significant about Andrew's conversation with his girlfriend?

4. How and why does Vasquez extend his hospitality to Lincoln and Andrew?

5. What are Henry Mason's opinions about artists?

6. Why does Marie take in Charlie in "A Lovely Love Affair?"

7. What is the fate of the president after the surgeries are completed?

8. Why does Bukowski decide to find a better girlfriend than Madge at the end of the story?

9. What happens off of the coast of Spain in "Politics is like Trying to Screw a Cat in the Ass?"

10. How does Bukowski force the police to leave in "My Big-Assed Mother?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of fantasy in the stories by Bukowski in the following format:

Part 1) Bukowski's method of dealing with the meat-packing plant.

Part 2) Tony and Bill's feelings about their stolen body.

Part 3) Blanchard's obsession with the little girl.

Part 4) The narrator's sexual encounter with the prostitute in "Trouble with a Battery."

Part 5) Bukowski's attempts to write in "Twelve Flying Monkeys Who Won't Copulate Properly."

Cite specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the depictions of abusive relationships in the following format:

Part 1) Tanya and Von Brashlitz.

Part 2) Vicki and Bukowski.

Part 3) Tony and Bill taking advantage of the dead woman's body.

Part 4) Infidelity, as seen in "3 Women" and "Trouble with a Battery."

Part 5) Henry and Sarah from "Six Inches."

Develop a clear thesis statement on this subject and cite specific examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast "The Fiend" and "The Murder of Ramon Vasquez." What are some of the similar themes that Bukowski explores in each of these stories? Why is it significant that Blanchard of the former and Lincoln of the latter are very different from each other? How does this relate to Bukowski's disclaimer at the beginning of "The Murder of Ramon Vasquez?" Why does Bukowski find it important to explore these darker themes? How does Bukowski see both of these stories as a reflection upon society?

(see the answer keys)

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