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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 kind of condition had Dawn been suffering for five years after Merry's disappearance?

2. To whom does Lou send copies of letters that he wrote to President Johnson?

3. What did the narrator keep on his bedroom wall to keep track of the war?

4. In what state did Merry set off her second bomb?

5. What kind of people does Swede believe Merry could have fallen in with to explain her life?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Swede's time as a marine described in Chapter 5?

2. How does Swede describe Bill and Dawn in the end of Chapter 8?

3. How are Lou's feelings towards the Nixon administration described in the book?

4. What does Swede ponder about when thinking of Rita stealing his money?

5. What is the nature of the letter Swede receives from Rita at the beginning of Chapter 5?

6. Why did Dawn choose to raise cattle according to the narrator?

7. How does Swede describe Barry Umanoff and Marcia Schwartz's marriage?

8. How are Merry's values as a Jain described in the book?

9. What is the nature of Lou's discussion regarding the downfall of Newark in Chapter 8?

10. What did Dr. Salzman counsel the Levovs about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story of Swede offers a unique and heartbreaking look into the life of an apparent American hero.

Part 1) What impact might Swede's upbringing and success as an athlete have on the way his life played out?

Part 2) What impact did Dawn's vanity and infidelity have on Swede's plight?

Part 3) What is telling of Swede based on his wanting to have a tribute to his father written by the narrator?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters Dawn and Merry. What does Dawn's insistence on making Merry her mirror image say about the struggles within these two characters

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the portrayal of the family structure in the book. What might the author be saying about the typical portrayal of the family structure based on his depiction of Swede's family?

(see the answer keys)

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