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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 does the narrator meet with Swede to write about near the end of Chapter 1?

2. What religion does Swede practice?

3. What is the narrator especially fascinated by in regard to his ability to remember his childhood?

4. What does Nathan's old girlfriend that he runs into at the reunion tell him she regrets never letting him do?

5. In what state did Swede grow up?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Jerry described at the beginning of Chapter 3?

2. What does Nathan say his working from home saves him from when talking with Jerry at the class reunion?

3. What is the nature of Nathan's reminiscence about "The Kid from Tomkinsville"?

4. How does Rita taunt Swede sexually in Chapter 4?

5. How is Rita's first visit to the glove factory described?

6. What does Rita tell Swede that Merry says about him and her mother?

7. What is the nature of the description of Newark Maid Leatherware?

8. How is Merry's bombing in her hometown at the end of Chapter 3 described?

9. How does the narrator describe the post-war energy of his neighborhood in Chapter 2?

10. How does Swede describe glove making to the narrator in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of tone. What details is the author able to introduce about the characters by using varying tones in one chapter?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the character Lou Levov. What about Lou's upbringing influenced the way he raised his children and pushed his ideals on their lives?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the irony of the outcome of Swede's life. What can be responsible for the obstacles present in Swede's life to explain for the tragedy surrounding his home life?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 600 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample