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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 does David say happened to his mother in 1971?
2. Why does Cusk avoid looking at the woman who sits near him in Chapter 27?
3. What does David first talk about in the beginning of Chapter 22?
4. In Chapter 30, where does Sylvanshine get the facts from that he shares with Reynolds?
5. What does Chapter 25 describe?
Short Essay Questions
1. What is the relationship between the Peoria REC and Martinsburg?
2. How does David describe the van ride after he is hired by the IRS?
3. How does David feel while Ms. Neti-Neti leads him into the IRS REC?
4. In Chapter 22, what reason does David give for going to the IRS for a job?
5. In Chapter 27, what reason is given for possibly not conducting an audit?
6. In Chapter 22, why does David take a long time getting to the train?
7. Why doesn't David exit the van in Chapter 24 with the other people?
8. In Chapter 27, what worries Cusk most about his training?
9. What task is the narrator given by Gary Manshardt in Chapter 35?
10. In Chapter 27, why is the word "profitable" not used officially?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
What is the role of interview in "The Pale King"? Consider the interviews conducted with tax payers, IRS employees and people wishing to become IRS employees. What message is conveyed about the interviewing process?
Essay Topic 2
Analyze the role of women in this novel. While most of the IRS employees are men, there are a few women characters who play major roles in the novel. How do women influence the development of the major themes? How do the women interact with the IRS? What influence does this have? In what ways do women exist outside of, and independent of, the IRS?
Essay Topic 3
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?
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This section contains 851 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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