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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. According to the doctor, what did Gladys die from?

2. Where does Babette like to run?

3. Where does the German teacher live?

4. Who is Bee's father?

5. What was Eric Massingale's former profession?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Bob Pardee passing through town?

2. According to Jack, why does Bee make the family feel self-conscious?

3. Why does Bee say that the people who crash landed went through a bad experience for nothing?

4. Who makes up the group of teachers in the pop culture department?

5. Why did Jack name Heinrich Heinrich?

6. Describe the family lunch the Gladneys eat, in terms of who attended, what they ate and what the mood was.

7. What is the mood of the family when they are shopping at the mall?

8. Why does Heinrich stay away when the family gathers to watch the sunset.

9. What is so shocking about Jack's trouble with German?

10. Heinrich is playing chess with someone through letters. Describe his opponent.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Babette teaches frivolous and ridiculous classes; Jack teaches Hitler studies rather than German History or Politics, and his colleague Murray wants to create an Elvis studies department. Write an analytical essay in which you explore and discuss what you think DeLillo is communicating about education, teaching, higher education, or learning. Be sure to consider Jack's attempts at irony.

Essay Topic 2

Decide whether or not you think this book is funny. If so, write a position paper that explains the humor and why you find it funny/why DeLillo hopes the reader finds it funny. If you do not think it is funny, write a position paper that articulates your opinion of the jokes/humor/irony at work here and why you think it was not effective. Be sure to offer specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the role that television plays in the life of the Gladney family. What is DeLillo trying to communicate about the way Americans watch television, or about what is produced and broadcast? Is this novel a critique of a "media generation"? Has television changed substantially since 1985? Would a new version of this novel include the internet in similar ways? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample