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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 made Jane see that her Christmas gift was not, in fact, special?

2. How does the narrator characterize Darren’s skating ability at the roller rink?

3. When was Adam in New York having a breakdown about his girlfriend in Spain?

4. Who does Adam say was central to including Darren?

5. Why did Adam lose his debate in the semi-finals?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Jonathan’s relationship with Donna Selkie like, and what made is awkward?

2. What aspect of Adam’s friends’ culture led to the melee that started with Reynolds and Darren?

3. What is the importance of the painted tissue box?

4. What is the difference between extemp and Lincoln-Douglass debate?

5. What explanation does Jonathan give for why his parents and the diplomats drank so much in Taiwan?

6. What cause Jane to consciously redirect her thoughts about Adam’s behavior, and how did she do so?

7. How did the time at the roller rink return seven years later in the basement at Jason’s party?

8. What is the one situation that holds numerous times together in the “New York School” chapter?

9. What is the narrator’s relationship with Darren’s hike back from Clinton Lake?

10. In what condition did Darren wake up at Clinton Lake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Ben Lerner’s representation of Darren, the developmentally delayed ex-student? Does this portrait ring true, or does it sound false, or caricaturish? What work does Darren’s character do for the narrative? How does his presence reveal the personalities of the other characters?

Essay Topic 2

How does Lerner use debate as a running metaphor throughout the novel? How does it parallel relationships, politics, the economy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of debate strategies as running metaphors throughout the novel?

Essay Topic 3

How does The Topeka School render the difference between east coast and Midwest cultures in the U.S.? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each culture, in the characters’ experiences? Does the book’s heart live more in one culture than the other?

(see the answer keys)

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