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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. According to Phillip, how many children do Alex and his wife have?

2. Who does Phillip think he has seen entering the Patton Hotel in Chattanooga?

3. To whom is Josephine's suitor related?

4. What quality in himself does Alex say he likes least?

5. Why does George Carver move to Memphis?

Short Essay Questions

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

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 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?

4. 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?

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. 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?

7. 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?

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

9. 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?

10. In Chapter 2, Phillip gives a detailed account of the traveling party on their way from Nashville to Memphis. Who went to Memphis that day? How many cars were in the caravan? Who did Betsy drive with to Memphis and why? What people outside of the immediate family moved to Memphis? Why did Father arrange for everyone in the caravan to move together?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the opening of the novel, Phillip speaks of the danger of middle aged children interfering with their widowed fathers' dating. How does this theme manifest itself in the novel? Discuss the ironic twist on this theme that becomes a central thread of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

The three surviving Carver children never marry. Discuss each character's attempt at marriage and how the attempts are foiled by Father. What kind of men do Betsy and Josephine choose? How are they similar? How are they different? How do these men both fit into the social character of the Carver family?

Essay Topic 3

Are Betsy and Josephine justified in preventing Father from marrying and cloistering him in his home with their constant oversight? Defend your position.

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