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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. Where are they supposed to evacuate to?

2. What is the name of the gun Jack takes to the hotel?

3. What distinguishes Babette from Jack's other wives?

4. What is the name of the doctor on Babette's pills?

5. Which child does Jack find at the simulated evacuation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Law of Ruins Jack describes?

2. Who is Willie Mink?

3. What is Orest Mercator trying to do?

4. Why does Jack follow Winnie Richards in Chapter 25? Are his reasons valid?

5. Why is Denise concerned about Babette going running, and what does she do about it?

6. What does Winnie Richards think of Babette's condition and of the true purpose of Dylar?

7. What is the condition Babette has, for which she is taking Dylar.

8. How did the mock evacuation in Chapter 28 turn out?

9. What happened to Cotsakis, Murray's rival in Elvis studies?

10. Which particular kind of people does Jack notice watching the insane asylum burn down, when he and Heinrich go to watch?

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

Considering the first two Books of the novel, analyze the way DeLillo uses feelings of non-chalance and calm to characterize the Gladney family. Offer textual examples of how they behave during hectic, stressful, or chaotic situations and explain the fictional techniques (especially dialogue and setting) that help the author achieve this characterization.

(see the answer keys)

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