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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. When Don feels filled with peace the night before he leaves the hospital, what doesn't he know?

2. What does Don often criticize about Eva?

3. What does Don believe about why he didn't die?

4. What does Nicole receive for an award?

5. What did Don find out later about when he woke and was singing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who sees Don off when he leaves the hospital and what do they expect?

2. What is one of the worst parts of Don's recovery and how do they handle it?

3. What do a couple of the studies on near death experiences say and what is Don's answer to them?

4. What does a woman who called in at a radio station tell Don and what does Don do about it?

5. Where did Don go in Houston and what did he have to do to get a seat? Why?

6. What does Don think about his children through his ordeal?

7. What kind of people does Don seem to meet?

8. How did his accident affect his mother and how does she help out?

9. With whom does Don finally share his entire story and how did it go?

10. What surprised Eva most about Don in the months after the accident and what did she do about it? How does she view Don?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Most people would have prayed for Don's soul to find a happy home in heaven, not that a dead man would have no internal injuries. In the face of such insurmountable odds, Dick's prayers seem futile and ridiculous.

1. What kind of person do you think Dick is given his actions at the accident site?

2. Do you think if you were in Dick's position you would have done what he did? Why or why not?

3. Do you agree with the last sentence above? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Despite the large number of visitors who come to see Don in the hospital, he refuses to let anyone do anything for him. One day, Jay Perkins stops by to visit Don. Jay is a retired minister filling in for Don. Jay notices that Don never asks for help and challenges him to open up to the people who care about him. Jay tells Don that people are trying to love him in the only way they know how, but Don will not let them.

1. How would the above statement relate to the cliche, "No man is an island?"

2. Why do you think Don is refusing help from anyone? Use examples from the book and your own life to support your answer.

3. People in general seem to believe that doing something for someone they love is showing their love. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Don has difficulty discussing his trip to heaven with anyone for several years after the accident. Don told Eva only a tiny portion of what had happened, and she never pesters him with questions, sensing he is not ready to talk. One day, David Gentiles visits Don at home and asks Don how he is feeling. As the conversation progresses, Don begins to share the entire story of his ninety minutes in heaven with David.

1. Why do you think Don was able to tell his story to David and not to Eva?

2. Do you think that Don and Eva must not have a good marriage if he tells someone his story before he tells her? Why or why not?

3. How would you feel if you were Eva? Discuss in detail what she might have been feeling and how you would react if you were her.

(see the answer keys)

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