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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. Why does the author suggest researching government documents in Chapter 9?

2. In Chapter 9, what does the author say is the IRS' biggest strength?

3. Why does Claude speak to Merrill in Chapter 2?

4. In Chapter 7, who gets on a the minibus?

5. In Chapter 14, what is the IRS revealed to have been in the past?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Stecyk try to do in Chapter 12?

2. What point does the author make about the "information society" in Chapter 9?

3. In Chapter 9, what does the author say is wrong with his publisher?

4. What is the purpose of Chapter 11?

5. Why does the author talk about the dullness of the IRS in Chapter 9?

6. Why does Wallace have to watch the interviews in Chapter 14?

7. What types of information does the author provide via interview in Chapter 14?

8. In Chapter 5, how is the boy described?

9. In Chapter 10, how does the author explain the existence of the bureaucratic systems he describes?

10. In the beginning of this novel, how does Claude feel about his job?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the layering of people named David Foster Wallace in this novel. Explore the relationship between the three Davids in the novel: the author, the narrator and the character. What makes these people different? What makes them the same?

Essay Topic 2

What is the effect of the loosely connected characters of "The Pale King" on the development of the plot? What is the relationship between plot and characterization?

Essay Topic 3

How does the author create setting throughout this novel? How does the IRS become a driving force behind the creation of setting? What makes the setting of this novel important to the novel as a whole?

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