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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. What adventures do Betsy and Josephine write and tell Phillip about concerning their father?

2. What sports do the girls take up in Memphis?

3. Who is Mrs. Clara Stockwell?

4. What going away gift does Phillip's girlfriend give him before he moves to Memphis?

5. Who is the first person Phillip meets at his new school?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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. Of all the Carver children, the least is said about Georgie. In Chapter 4, what information is revealed about Georgie? How would one describe Georgie and who he is in the Carver family?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. At the end of Chapter 1, Phillip gives a detailed explanation of how the family's move to Memphis affected every member of the family. Who appears to have handled the transition the best? For whom was it the hardest? Discuss the impact on each of the four children and Mr. and Mrs. Carver.

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. As Chapter Six opens, Phillip describes the way his sisters are treating their father. How are the sisters behaving now that Father is dating?

10. In Chapter 2, Phillip relates the story of his sister Joesphine's experience with her serious beau, Clarkson Manning. What happens to to their relationship? What does Manning inadvertently do that changes the relationship between the two? How does Father react to Manning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Phillip's long term relationship with Holly Kaplan is the only successful love relationship the adult Carver siblings have. Why do you think this is? How does his father's influence in his romance with Clara Price compare to that of his of Betsy and Josephine's? Why has Phillip's father not meddled in the relationship between Holly and Phillip?

Essay Topic 2

In the beginning of the novel, Holly believes Phillip is obsessed with his family. As the novel continues, she changes her opinion. Phillip learns more about Holly's family, and it becomes evident that there is a strong similarity between Holly and Phillip. What is this mutual experience, and how does it better explain their relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Who do you think is the most memorable character in the novel? Why?

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