106 pages 3 hours read

John Kennedy Toole

A Confederacy of Dunces

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1980

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Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-2

1. What is the name of the department store in which the opening of the novel is set?

2. How old is Ignatius?

3. Darlene listens to Ignatius tell (for the fifth time) the familiar story of him travelling to what city by bus?

4. What breed of dog did Ignatius have?

Short-Answer Response

Answer each of the following questions in a complete sentence or sentences. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What catastrophe occurs as Ignatius and Mrs. Reilly leave the Night of Joy and causes Officer Mancuso to tell them they are being asked for an immediate settlement of $1,020?

2. What are the two reasons Jones takes a job at Night of Joy?

Paired Resource

On Stage | Outside of the D.H. Holmes Department Store

  • A clip from the opening of The Huntington’s theatrical performance of A Confederacy of Dunces
  • Does Huntington’s theatrical adaptation of the opening of the novel look anything like what you pictured when you read the opening pages of the novel?

Ignatius J. Reilly Statue in New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Standing in front of the former D.

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Plot Summary

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