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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. Where does George Carver attend college?

2. What does Phillip ask Clara in order to strike up a conversation?

3. What does Phillip do with his sisters' letters describing his father's nighttime activities?

4. Holly Kaplan is a Jewish woman from what city?

5. What was the last name of Phillip's girlfriend in Chattanooga?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. 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?

3. In Chapter 4, Phillip speaks of two important relationships in the novel. One is the friendship between Phillip and Alex. The other is the friendship between Alex and Mr. Carver. Father and son are not particularly close, but each are close to Alex. In this chapter, how does this triangle of friendship begin to display itself?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. 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?

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

Typically a four leaf clover is a symbol of good luck. In the novel, Phillip asks his mother for the four leaf clover pendant he sees on her dressing table. The pendant, however, does not bring luck to either Mother or Phillip. Discuss the pendant's history in the Carver family. How does the eventual recipient react to the pendent?

Essay Topic 2

Georgie Carver, the eldest son in the novel, is dead throughout much of the story. Who was Georgie? What do you know about his relationship members of his family? Is Georgie an important character in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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