View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who does Mr. Carver talk to concerning his plans to interfere with Phillip's marriage?
(a) Victor Manning.
(b) Betsy Carver
(c) Lewis Shackleford.
(d) Alex Mercer.

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

3. Where does Alex teach?
(a) University of Tennessee in Knowville.
(b) University of Tennessee in Nashville.
(c) Memphis State University
(d) Vanderbilt

4. Where do Mr. Carver and his grown daughters have supper on Sunday nights?
(a) The local tavern.
(b) The Tennessee Club.
(c) A local steakhouse.
(d) The country club.

5. How long do the Carvers live in Memphis?
(a) Two decades.
(b) Thirty years.
(c) One year.
(d) Three years.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Alex first meet Mr. Carver?

2. For what reason are the daughters considered the "laughing stock of the town"?

3. What is Mr. Carver wearing when he arrives at Alex Mercer's home the first time?

4. What is the name of Phillip's first serious girlfriend?

5. Why does George Carver move to Memphis?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 4, Phillip describes meeting Alex Mercer. How does Phillip meet Alex and how does their friendship grow? What do each represent to the other?

2. As Chapter 1 opens, Phillip is alone in the apartment he shares with Holly Kaplan. Why is this the case? What are the things Phillip thinks about while deciding whether to go to Memphis?

3. In Chapter 2, Phillip tells of the end of Betsy and Wyant's relationship. What incident causes the beginning of the end of the relationship? How does Betsy react to her father? How does Wyant react? What is father's objection and how does he present this to Betsy?

4. In Chapter 4, thirteen year-old Phillip introduces us to his first serious girl friend. Who is the young girl he falls in love with and how does he describe her? What develops in their relationship, and how does it end?

5. In Chapter 5, Phillip's narrative presents many examples of Alex's ability to befriend both Mr Carver and Phillip Carver. What are the examples Phillip gives?

6. When Phillip describes Memphis in Chapter 2, he paints detailed pictures of the city of his adolescence and the one he encounters during his adult visits home. He also compares Memphis to Nashville. How has the city of Memphis changed in Phillip's opinion? How do the two cities still differ?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. Betsy and Josephine always speak to Mr. Carver and Philip about their late-night dates and whether or not they should marry. In Chapter 6, Phillip knows that this is a game the two sisters play. Are there romances for these two women? Who does Phillip realize these phantom men are?

10. In Chapter 4, Phillip discusses Alex's concerns about Mr. Carver. Phillip listens, but thinks that Alex may not know his sisters as well as he thinks he does. What does Alex fear will happen to Mr. Carver and why? How does Phillip see the situation?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,326 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample