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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 nickname do the women in town have for George Carver?
(a) Napoleon.
(b) Mr. Jones.
(c) Mr. Bonaparte.
(d) James Joyce.

2. Who does Mr. Carver confide in when he wants to block Phillip from marrying his girlfriend in Chattanooga?
(a) Alex Mercer.
(b) Mother.
(c) Josephine.
(d) Betsy.

3. Within a few weeks of meeting Clara, where does Phillip begin spending his Saturday nights?
(a) At restaurants.
(b) At used book stores.
(c) At the library.
(d) At Clara's parents' house.

4. How does Alex's father define the best human being?
(a) The oldest person.
(b) The person who has earned the most money.
(c) The one who adjusts best to his circumstances.
(d) The most intellectual person.

5. Why does George Carver move to Memphis?
(a) To start a new life after the problems in Nashville.
(b) To meet new people
(c) To join an old friend
(d) To have a better social life.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long do the Carvers live in Memphis?

2. How old are Betsy and Josephine when their mother dies?

3. What are Alex's first words to Phillip?

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

5. What subject does Alex teach?

Short Essay Questions

1. Phillip visits Alex in Paris during the war in Chapter 5. Describe their time together in Paris. What happens to them on the Rue de Rivoli one afternoon?

2. In Chapter 1, Phillip begins to explain the story of his family and their move from Nashville in 1931. What does he think is important for the reader to know in order for the story to make sense? Where does he begin the story? What does he tell us about the people whose conflict made the family's move necessary?

3. In Chapter 4, Alex also meets Mr. Carver. Where do the two meet, and what brings them together? How does their relationship grow during the course of the chapter?

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 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?

6. In Chapter 3, Phillip talks at length about what his sisters have done for both himself and his brother, Georgie. What have they done for their brothers to help them in their lives? What have they potentially sacrificed by helping their brothers in this way? How do the two women continue to take care of their father after the boys leave home?

7. In Chapter 5, Phillip tells the story of the pendant. What is the significance of four leaf clovers in the love affair between Clara and Phillip?

8. In Chapter 1, how do Mr. Carver's daughters initially handle his dating? How does this change when he begins seeing one woman exclusively?

9. 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?

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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