View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to the telephone conversation at the end of Chapter 1, why does the caller need Quinn to protect him?
(a) The caller is paranoid.
(b) The caller believes he is going to be murdered.
(c) The caller has committed a crime.
(d) The caller is a celebrity.

2. Where does the second meeting between Quinn and Stillman take place in Chapter 9?
(a) The Santa Maria Cafe.
(b) The Titanic Hotel.
(c) The Mayflower Cafe.
(d) The Pinta Hotel.

3. From which historic landmark does Quinn telephone Virginia Stillman for the thirteenth time?
(a) The World Trade Center.
(b) The Pentagon.
(c) The Empire State Building.
(d) The Statue of Liberty.

4. At the end of Chapter 13, what is the relationship between the narrator and Paul Auster?
(a) They are lovers.
(b) They are enemies.
(c) They are brothers.
(d) They are friends.

5. According to Stillman, what secret reference do the initials H.D. have?
(a) Humpty Dumpty.
(b) Henry David Thoreau.
(c) Heraclitus and Democritus.
(d) Henry Dark.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Quinn's pseudonym?

2. What is the name of the hotel where Stillman stays?

3. In their first conversation in Chapter 9, what does Stillman tell Quinn his project is?

4. What do Quinn and the counterman at the luncheonette commonly converse about?

5. According to the end of Chapter 8, what does "El" mean in ancient Hebrew?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 11, what does Quinn write about in the red notebook? According to his observations, what is the social hierarchy of the vagabond population like?

2. What job does Virginia Stillman hire Auster to do? How does she expect him to start?

3. According to Stillman's book, where should the new paradise be built? When should this building occur and why then?

4. After losing track of Stillman, who does Quinn seek out for advice on the Stillman case? Why does he think this person will be able to help him?

5. In what year did Stillman lock up his son? Why is this significant?

6. Describe Stillman's daily routine. What items does he take with him on his daily walks?

7. What is the danger of Quinn's becoming too bored while following Stillman? Who does he pretend to be in order to combat his boredom?

8. What is the first thing that Quinn writes in the red notebook? Why is this significant?

9. What is the financial and societal status of the Stillman family? Where do the Stillmans come from?

10. According to Peter, what was his father's motivation for locking him up in the dark for so many years? Was he successful?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 792 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample