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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. Who calls Grady in Chapter 16 in order to invite him to Passover Seder?

2. Which family's home is the setting of Chapter 20?

3. How many bathrooms are there in the house where Chapters 20-23 are set?

4. Which character does Grady encounter when he arrives at the Gaskells' house in Chapter 18?

5. How many living siblings in total does Emily have?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way do the themes of guilt and responsibility appear within Chapter 27?

2. Describe an instance when Crabtree is able to help Grady analyze his own actions.

3. Who are Emily's living siblings?

4. What is Emily's reaction when Grady attempts to speak with her in Chapter 22?

5. What strange collection of objects does Grady have in the trunk of his car by the end of Chapter 28?

6. What is the symbolism of horse chestnut trees in the novel Wonder Boys?

7. What request does Deb make of Grady in Chapter 22 and why?

8. What happened to the Warshaws' one biological child?

9. Describe an instance when Chabon uses Grady's actions to demonstrate a character trait of Crabtree's.

10. Over the course of their relationship, how many fights have Emily and Grady had and what is the significance of this number?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What messages does Chabon send about friendship in the novel Wonder Boys and what themes are employed in order to send these messages to the reader?

Essay Topic 2

Perform a biographical criticism of Wonder Boys by researching Chabon's life and work. Be sure to create a strong and specific claim focused on this particular book and then support that claim with quotes from the book and from your research of Chabon.

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Chabon’s novel Wonder Boys. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,041 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample