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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. In Chapter 24, who is waiting outside for Charlie when he returns to the sheriff's office?

2. What angers Sarah most about Brian's confession?

3. Who pulls Sims Addison over after a night of drinking?

4. What does the narrator claim caused Missy to jump into the road in front of his car?

5. What does the narrator think caused Missy's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Miles react to Jonah's questions about his mother when he finds Miles watching home videos?

2. Despite a reluctance to return to jail, what is Sims Addison doing in Chapter 17 when Miles pulls him over?

3. In Chapter 20, where does Miles go after Charlie sends him home? What does he notice there?

4. Who calls Charlie with information about Miles? What does Charlie do as a result of these phone calls?

5. What does Miles do during the arrest of Otis Timson that could come back to haunt him later?

6. How does Charlie react when he learns that Miles arrested Otis Timson?

7. In Chapter 28, why does the unnamed narrator say he finally felt as though he could stop watching the Ryan home? Why is this?

8. What detail of Brian's story finally gets through to Miles and makes him realize that it was only an accident?

9. How does Sarah react to the revelation that Brian killed Missy Ryan?

10. What threats against Miles does the district attorney and the Timson family attorney make to Charlie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Sarah Andrews? Why does the author immediately introduce her divorce and the cause for it? What impact might such a situation have on a future relationship for Sarah? Does this situation impact Sarah's ability to be a romantic partner, to be a mother? What does Sarah think of Jonah Ryan? Why is Sarah concerned about him? Is what happened to Jonah a common occurrence? Why does Sarah think the previous teachers did Jonah a disservice? Did they? What does Sarah's opinion of Jonah and his situation say about Sarah as a teacher? About Sarah as a person?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following in an essay:

1) Setting: The small town setting and its impact on the characters.

2) Setting: The author's decision to set the novel in the 1980s rather than modern time.

3) Structure: The use of an unnamed narrator to preface the book.

Essay Topic 3

Who is Miles Ryan? Why is he having trouble sleeping at the beginning of the novel? What is Miles thinking about? What has his life been like since the death of his wife? Why has the death of his wife touched his life so profoundly? Why does Miles worry about his son, Jonah? Why does Miles think he is not the type of man to be alone? What does this say about Miles' feelings for his wife, Missy? How do the opening chapters suggest that Miles has changed as a person since his wife's death? Are these changes good? Bad? How have they impacted Miles' life overall?

(see the answer keys)

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