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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the name of Phillip's first serious girlfriend?
(a) Betsy.
(b) Joyce.
(c) Clara.
(d) Evelyn.

2. Phillip believes Alex cannot see that underneath Betsy and Josephine's stated love for their father lies what other emotion?
(a) Hatred.
(b) Sadness.
(c) Gratitude.
(d) Respect.

3. Who is Howard's father?
(a) Georgie Manning.
(b) Lewis Shackleford.
(c) Alex Mercer.
(d) Joe Carver

4. Both Betsy and Josephine call to give Phillip what news?
(a) Their father has eloped with a young woman.
(b) Their father is moving back to Nashville.
(c) Their father is deathly ill.
(d) Their father is remarrying.

5. According to Phillip, how many children do Alex and his wife have?
(a) Two.
(b) Three or four.
(c) Five or six.
(d) Seven.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of the street on which the family first lives in Memphis?

2. Where is Phillip's mother born and raised?

3. In what year does the relationship between Clara and Phillip end?

4. What city is described as a "land oriented" city?

5. What is the name of the area in which Betsy and Josephine live?

Short Essay Questions

1. In his letters to Phillip, Alex talks about Betsy and Josephine's involvement in the social scene in Memphis. In Chapter 3, Alex explains that the two women are rather considered a social institution in Memphis. But Alex also speaks at length about how the two women are the "laughing stock of the town." What does Alex mean by this? How does Phillip react to seeing his sisters when he visits?

2. In Chapter 5, Phillip describes his summer at Fort Oglethorpe. What was this summer like for him? Why has he chosen this summer in particular to describe in detail?

3. As Mr. Carver continues to date and socialize, the two daughters appear to keep very close tabs on him. How does Phillip react to this? What is he able to see about his Father's situation based on the regular correspondence from Josephine and Betsy?

4. In Chapter 5, Phillip reminisces on his failed engagement. What happens between Phillip and Clara Price? Compare his experience with that of his sisters.

5. In Chapter 3, Phillip describes how Betsy and Josephine settle into their lives in Memphis after their failed engagements. He speaks with some pride about their accomplishments. What are those accomplishments? What type of life have Betsy and Josephine made for themselves in Memphis?

6. During a conversation with his mother in Chapter 2, Phillip begins to explain how the move to Memphis has ruined his life. His mother laughs at him. How does this affect Phillip and why? How does he compare his mother before and after Memphis?

7. In Chapter 3, Phillip paints a picture of his parents and his two sisters living in Memphis and their conversations about dating and the men they are both seeing. How does this appear to him when he is home visiting? How do Betsy and Josephine behave in front of their parents? What is the topic of conversation much of the time Phillip is visiting? How do the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Carver respond to their middle-aged daughters' banter?

8. Alex Mercer is Phillip's closest friend in Memphis and he corresponds regularly with Phillip in Manhattan concerning Mr. Carver. In Chapter 3, Phillip discusses Alex's position and concerns about Mr. Carver's new status as a widower and subsequent dating. What are these concerns? Why does Alex worry so much about how Betsy and Josephine will react to their father's dating some of the women in town? How does he look upon the middle aged daughters of his friend and their behavior about town concerning their father?

9. In Chapter 1, the narrator begins the story with an explanation of the perils of a widower with middle-aged children,dating. What is the major issue faced by the widower? What examples of this situation does the narrator provide?

10. In Chapter 2, Phillip recalls a conversation between his mother and a friend of hers from Nashville. In their conversation, the woman declares "you, my dear Minta, will love Memphis." Does Phillip's mother love Memphis? How does she adjust to her new home?

(see the answer keys)

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