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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 dance do Betsy and Josephine try and convince the bands to play?
(a) A foxtrot.
(b) A waltz.
(c) A tango.
(d) A polka.

2. Who do Alex and Phillip meet on the streets of Paris?
(a) Winston Churchill.
(b) Alfred Hitchcock.
(c) Charles De Gaulle.
(d) Gertrude Stein.

3. How do Betsy and Josephine initially react to their father's dating?
(a) They are concerned.
(b) They are jealous.
(c) They are happy.
(d) They are angry.

4. What gift does Phillip give to Clara a week before her birthday?
(a) "Scrooge" by Charles Dickens.
(b) "A Christmas Story" by James Agee.
(c) "A Christmas Tale" by Henry James.
(d) "A Garland of Chirstmas Verse" by S.C. Mayle.

5. What adventures do Betsy and Josephine write and tell Phillip about concerning their father?
(a) Dating older women.
(b) Dancing with young women in bars.
(c) Fishing trips with friends.
(d) Golf outings with older women.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Georgie is often mistaken for a native of what city?

3. What does Mr. Carver carry into the bars to help him with his neuropathy?

4. What does Mr. Carver represent to Alex?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. Phillip is in New York in Chapter 3 and receiving letters from Alex, Betsy and Josephine about Mr. Carver. How does Phillip react to his father's dating? How does he respond to his sisters' treatment of Mr. Carver both in public and private? Why does he take the position he does? How does he respond to Alex's concerns?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. 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?

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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