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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. What object does Grady leave in James's bed after he helps him escape from the Leers' house?

2. What type of event is taking place at Grady's house when he arrives in Chapter 29?

3. How many feet long is the boa constrictor named Grossman?

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

5. In what way are Deb and Emily related to one another?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In what way does the theme of appearance versus reality appear in tandem with Grady's characterization of the "midnight disease" (23)?

4. To what type of event does Irving invite Grady in Chapter 16 and how does Grady respond?

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

6. What shocking piece of information does Grady reveal about his late father in Chapter 24?

7. How does Chabon go about depicting Irving as a man who insists on honesty?

8. For what length of time have Emily and Grady been together when the narrative begins and what evolution did their plan for a family undergo?

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

10. What were Emily's original career aspirations and what does she do for a living now?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the theme of isolation function within the novel Wonder Boys, and what is Chabon’s message regarding this theme?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Chabon's treatment of class within the book Wonder Boys. What are the messages Chabon is attempting to send to the audience and which characters are utilized to relay these messages?

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.

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