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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 became of Sam?

2. Why did Rick lose his job at the Birmingham paper?

3. What kind of questions did Rick often find himself answering to the students at Harvard?

4. Rosario told Rick that he confronted the armed man in his store for what reason?

5. How old was Rick when he married?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Rick question his feelings about being a reporter after the Oklahoma City bombings?

2. What did Rick find on his second visit to Haiti?

3. How did Rick fare at Harvard?

4. What was momma's new house like and how did she and everyone else react to it?

5. At the early age of twenty where was Rick writing and what was he writing about?

6. What are some of the stories that Rick experienced in Clearwater?

7. How did home feel to Rick when he went back for Christmas after returning from Haiti?

8. Why didn't Rick remain married to his young bride?

9. What kind of a man did Sam become, and what did Rick think about him?

10. What was the Susan Smith story that Rick covered?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rick protected his mother from the horror stories that he wrote about. What was his motive behind this decision? Was it the right decision? Did he do it for himself ultimately or for her?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the three brothers. How do their differences affect the choices that they make in life?

Essay Topic 3

What drew Rick to spend his life writing stories about human tragedy? Did writing these types of stories resolve his inner issues? What did he learn about life from these stories?

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