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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Whom does Chinaski ogle in "Concrete"?
(a) The man's sister.
(b) The man's daughter.
(c) The man's wife.
(d) The man's mother.

2. Chinaski claims that the best one can hope for is which of the following?
(a) A friend.
(b) A love life.
(c) Ten free minutes.
(d) A pet.

3. Chinaski claims to say nothing to cops and what other type of person?
(a) Children.
(b) Cowardly men.
(c) Angry women.
(d) Failed writers.

4. Which of the following has happened to Chinaski in "Longshot"?
(a) He is fighting.
(b) He is working.
(c) He is losing a lot of blood.
(d) He is cleaning.

5. In "The Boil," for whom does Chinaski work?
(a) Random House.
(b) Pepsi.
(c) Nabisco.
(d) Proctor & Gamble.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which poem is considered the strangest in the collection?

2. In "The Beautiful Lady Editor," who writes to Chinaski telling him he deserves to be miserable?

3. In "Sticks and Stones . . ." Chinaski responds to whom?

4. What building is destroyed in "The Death of a Splendid Neighborhood"?

5. How many cats does Chinaski claim to own?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Chinaski's self-esteem.

2. What metaphor is used in the poem "Seize the Day"?

3. Describe the feelings Bukowski portrays in "Party's Over."

4. Is Bukowski seixst? Why or why not?

5. Why does Chinaski think he has so many female critics?

6. Describe the conclusion Chinaski arrives at in "Wearing the Collar" and "A Cat is a Cat is a Cat is a Cat."

7. Describe the poem "The Lady in the Castle."

8. In "Help Wanted," what does Chinaski fear?

9. What common theme runs through the poems "Practice," "My Buddy," John Edgar Webb," and "Love Poem to a Stripper"?

10. How does Bukowski build a sense of foreboding in "Invasion"?

(see the answer keys)

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