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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. How does Claude travel in Chapter 2?

2. In Chapter 14, why is Spackman mentioned?

3. Why doesn't Dean break up with his girlfriend in Chapter 6?

4. In Chapter 8, who does the girl run away with?

5. In Chapter 13, what does the character try to attribute his sweating to?

Short Essay Questions

1. What makes Claude happy in Chapter 2?

2. What makes Chapter 4 different from Chapters 1-3?

3. Why does Dean marry Sheri in Chapter 6?

4. How do the characters in Chapter 18 react to Desk Names?

5. In Chapter 16, what does Lane Dean Jr.'s character reveal about the work of the IRS?

6. How could the interview in Chapter 21 be described?

7. In Chapter 9, what does the author say about the first few pages of any book?

8. How does Stecyk change from Chapter 12 to Chapter 14?

9. While describing Stecyk in Chapter 12, what does the narrator comment on about the boy's future?

10. What is Stecyk's job in Chapter 14?

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

Analyze the use of symbolism in "The Pale King". Consider the significant jobs in the IRS REC, the IRS van, the pre-employment house and other important objects.

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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