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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. Where did Mal's mother and father spend time in Scotland before their children were born?

2. What time did Jonah like to eat dinner?

3. In what part of New York was Tony's apartment?

4. What did Mal wear when Fenno first met Mal's mother?

5. Who was with Mal when he died?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are David and Lil doing when Fenno goes to see them at the clinic in Chapter 10?

2. Who were Mal's mother's heroines?

3. What happened to Mal in Chapter 12 when Fenno went to Paris?

4. In the more than ten years that Fern has known Tony, where has he lived?

5. In Chapter 10, why was Fenno surprised when he looked for Tony and found a woman at the house?

6. How did Jonah die and how did Fern learn of his death?

7. What does the neighbor look like when she brings a few goodies in Chapter 15?

8. How did Felicity respond when Fenno took her to Mal's in Chapter 13?

9. What does Tony serve Fern for dinner in Chapter 14?

10. What does Fenno find in the attic in Chapter 12?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fenno compares his life to a Joseph Cornell box. In what ways is Fenno’s life compartmentalized like one of those boxes? Why does Fenno keep the sections of his life separate? How does he learn to break out of the compartments of his life?

Essay Topic 2

Fenno discovers that having family makes life worthwhile. When does Fenno begin to realize the importance of family? How does this realization affect him? In what ways does it change him and the way he lives life?

Essay Topic 3

David and Lillian ask Fenno to be a sperm donor. How does the request affect Fenno’s relationship with his brother and his wife? How does the request affect Fenno’s outlook on life?

(see the answer keys)

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