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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 do Sarah and Macon listen to after Macon pulls over?

2. What does Sarah tell Macon she wants regarding their separation?

3. What does he teach the cat to do?

4. Who does Macon write for?

5. When Julian calls, what does Macon negotiate for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Julian offer to Macon when he comes over in Chapter 6?

2. What is significant about Macon's visit to a restaurant at the top of a sky-scraper in New York?

3. Why does Macon return to his childhood home in Chapter 5?

4. In Chapter 19, how have Sarah and Macon picked up their domestic life where they left off?

5. What happened to Macon and Sarah's son, Ethan?

6. In Chapter 12, Macon begins to spend a lot of time with Muriel. What is Rose's response to his absence from home and why is it significant?

7. In the car, how are Macon and Sarah's physical appearance symbolic of the state of their marriage?

8. Describe Muriel Pritchett when Macon first meets her and when he picks up Edward.

9. When Macon's neighbor, Garner Bolt, visits him, what does he reveal people's perception of Macon?

10. Recount Macon's trip to England, paying close attention to his specific habits and goals.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Holidays function as significant events for Macon and his family. Discuss the family dynamics at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and what they reveal about the characters' relationships with one another.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss how Muriel is a foil to Macon in "The Accidental Tourist."

1. How does her presence create narrative tension and propel the plot forward?

2. How is Muriel the impetus for change in Macon's attitude?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the plot and subplot of "The Accidental Tourist," including the following for both:

1. Rising Action.

2. Climax.

3. Resolution.

(see the answer keys)

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