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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. On which street does Grady live in a house originally built in 1915?

2. Which character's dreams do Hannah and Grady discuss in Chapter 14?

3. When Chapter 3 begins, Grady is waiting for Emily to emerge from an advertising agency. Who is Emily?

4. What kind of pet do the Gaskells own?

5. In Chapter 2, it is revealed that Grady and Crabtree first met in what location?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was the first "real writer" (3) Grady ever knew and what was his eventual fate?

2. What is the significance of the date January 14, 1954 featured in Chapter 8?

3. How do Q's ideas included in his lecture in Chapter 10 echo those in Grady's philosophy about the "midnight disease" (23)?

4. How does Grady feel about Hannah and how does act on these feelings?

5. How does Grady react, inwardly and outwardly, to the news Sara delivers in Chapter 5?

6. In what way is James shown to be a bit eccentric and how does Grady interpret this quality?

7. What were the circumstances of Grady's parents' deaths?

8. In what way does the motif of dreams emerge within Chapter 14 and for what purpose?

9. What is the significance of the phrase, "He's writing his name in water" (93)?

10. What two roles does Walter play in Grady's life and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Determine Chabon’s message regarding the relationship between comedy and tragedy, as depicted in the novel Wonder Boys.

Essay Topic 2

Trace the characterization arc of Grady’s character throughout the novel Wonder Boys. Discuss whether he is a round or flat character and whether he is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 3

What is the function of Crabtree's character within the novel Wonder Boys? Discuss the characterization methods used by Chabon in depicting Crabtree and his reasons for portraying Grady’s best friend and agent in these particular ways.

(see the answer keys)

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