View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What elements does David name as being involved in the deaths of Charles's parents prior to Charles's enrollment in college?
(a) Alcohol and drugs.
(b) Sex and alcohol.
(c) Fate and bad timing.
(d) Jealousy and violence.

2. What is the name of Nic's little sister?
(a) Elisha.
(b) Daisy.
(c) Saffron.
(d) Jasmine.

3. Before taking up surfing, Nic had never wanted to go to the beach for what reason?
(a) He had liked video games better than nature.
(b) He had not wanted to show his body.
(c) He had not wanted to get sandy.
(d) He had not wanted to get a sunburn.

4. In addition to incompatibility, what else does David say occurs within his marriage to Vicki?
(a) She cheats on him with his brother.
(b) He cheats on her with her sister.
(c) He cheats on her with a family friend.
(d) She cheats on him with a family friend.

5. What university did David attend after high school?
(a) The University of Arizona.
(b) The University of Pennsylvania.
(c) The University of Illinois.
(d) Harvard College.

Short Answer Questions

1. Whose suicide note serves as a source of Part I's epigraph?

2. In her work focused on children of divorce, Dr. Judith Wallerstein found that what fraction of children with divorced parents "experienced moderate to severe depression" (68)?

3. What zoo does Nic often visit as a child?

4. Nic and a friend make prank phone calls they have learned how to make by watching what television show?

5. In what year was methamphetamine first synthesized?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reason does Sheff provide for his decision to forego foreshadowing within the memoir?

2. What is the symbolism of the word everything?

3. What major revelation does David make to the reader upon describing his son's admission of crystal meth use?

4. What is Charles's first close call with drugs and how is David involved?

5. What approach does David take in his stance with Nic about the topic of illicit drugs?

6. What is the cause of David's resentment toward Nic, even though David knows that he has an illness?

7. Discuss Sheff's purpose for providing statistics about methamphetamine use in the introduction.

8. What is the first altercation between David and Nic about Nic's use of substances?

9. What positive effects of marijuana does David describe in his own life?

10. How is the theme of duality demonstrated in David's discussion of Nic's behavior with his younger siblings?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,113 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample