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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. Who is the man that pays alimony for two marriages at Nathan's class reunion?

2. What does the narrator believe the tribute to Swede's father was a cover to hide?

3. What does Swede explain everything about to Rita when they first meet?

4. Where is the bombing done by the Weathermen with which Swede believes Merry to be involved?

5. What is the narrator's name in the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Swede remember about when Merry watched monks on TV?

2. What is the nature of Nathan's reminiscence about "The Kid from Tomkinsville"?

3. What does Merry begin doing in New York as a teenager?

4. What does Rita tell Swede that Merry says about him and her mother?

5. What does the narrator say about the neighborhood's reason for idolizing Swede?

6. How is Merry's bombing in her hometown at the end of Chapter 3 described?

7. How are Merry's physical attributes described as she grows up?

8. How is Jerry described at the beginning of Chapter 3?

9. How does the narrator say Swede's grandfather became a glove manufacturer?

10. How does the narrator describe Swede and Merry at a seaside cottage and their return from it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the role of the dinner party in the book. How do the events at the dinner party represent the crashing down of everything in Swede's life?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the portrayal of the family structure in the book. What might the author be saying about the typical portrayal of the family structure based on his depiction of Swede's family?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the portrayal of the structure of society in the book. What might the author be saying about social stereotypes based on his portrayal of Swede and his friends?

(see the answer keys)

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