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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. On page 30, what is being compared to an "infinite forest, the trunks and vines blocking out the light"?

2. When Alan and Frank miss Brenda's party, what is Alan disappointed about?

3. With whom does Brenda go on a trip to Hawaii?

4. Who is Camille?

5. To what is Brenda compared when she leaps from Frank's arms on page 27?

Short Essay Questions

1. What major event happens in Alan's life at Christmastime the year that Frank meets Nan, and how does Alan feel about it?

2. On page 29, what does Brenda say about "thin-lipped women," and how does Frank respond?

3. What is the difference in Frank's and Alan's attitudes toward marriage?

4. What do Frank and Alan do two months before their big case is supposed to be tried, and why do people tell them it is a bad idea?

5. How does Nan react when Frank tells her his theory about the difference between men and women?

6. Explain the meaning of this metaphor used on page 23: "They were in the last rank of the armies of law."

7. What is the outcome of Frank and Alan's big case, and how does it impact their careers?

8. What is similar and what is different about Frank's and Alan's fathers?

9. Who is Brenda, and what is Franks' relationship with her in the first section of the text?

10. What is "Hardmann Roe," and what role does it play in shaping Frank's and Alan's careers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Alan and Frank exchange a look in the hotel bar in Spoleto after Eda has refused to sleep with Alan, Alan understands Frank's intentions without discussion. "They were like thieves," the narrator comments (45). In what sense are Frank and Alan like thieves? Write an essay that considers not just this scene but the entirety of the story as you make and defend a claim about Frank's and Alan's willingness to "steal" to get what they want. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that examines both the causes and consequences of Frank's restlessness. Support your claims with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about the role of self-absorption in Frank's and Alan's lives. In what ways does it both help and hinder them? Do they both possess this characteristic to the same degree? Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the text.

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This section contains 930 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample