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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. In which of the following does the narrator note Dinah was born?

2. To which of the following does the narrator compare himself with regards to his adolescent romance?

3. Which of the following is the name of a tour guide at Shanksted?

4. Which of the following is the name of the narrator’s bellhop at Shanksted?

5. By which of the following names is the Tiko also known?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator describe Pavor when he first appears in the narrative?

2. What inspirations does the narrator cite for his dancing at Octavia’s mansion?

3. What is the basic plan the narrator and Jo Jo have to get material for Octavia’s campaign?

4. What expenses does the narrator note complicate securing Nigel’s procedure?

5. What does the narrator recall of Tyrod’s life with his son?

6. What does the narrator note the Racing Form tracks?

7. How does the narrator report that Dinah pranked him early in her career?

8. What conditions does Penny attempt to impose on the narrator for traveling to the company retreat with him?

9. What after-school activities is Nigel involved in at the beginning of the novel?

10. What reasons does the narrator give for having distanced himself from Supercargo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrator remarks, “I knew my mother well enough to understand that she would object to my plans for Nigel even more vehemently than Penny did” (72). What causes might the narrator have for proceeding despite the certainty of opposition from his wife and mother? What in the novel and in experience suggest as much? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 2

Early on, the narrator notes the contents of Octavia’s library, which include Eyes without a Face, The Hip Hop Ontologist’s View of Leda and the Swan, and Blackstone’s Law; Octavia notes that the books are “real, but mainly for effect” (8). What effect are they likely to have, and why?

Essay Topic 3

If there is a villain in the novel—a focal “bad” character—who is it most likely to be, and why?

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