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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 does Rita tell Swede that she needs to get of Merry's during their first meeting?

2. What is the narrator especially fascinated by in regard to his ability to remember his childhood?

3. What does the narrator suggest Swede's manner in kissing Merry when returning from the seaside cottage did to her?

4. What is the narrator's profession?

5. What is the name of the man that tells Nathan he wrote a paper for him in school at his class reunion?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What is Nathan fascinated with in regard to his childhood culture?

3. How are the adolescents in Nathan's neighborhood described in Chapter 2?

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

5. What reason does Nathan give Jerry for coming to the reunion?

6. What does Nathan reminisce about regarding his high school memories while preparing a speech for his reunion?

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

8. How does Rita taunt Swede sexually in Chapter 4?

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

10. What does Nathan say his working from home saves him from when talking with Jerry at the class reunion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the major factors to create Merry's militant actions is the impact of Swede's kiss to Merry as a child.

Part 1) What is telling of Merry based on her request that her father kiss her like he would her mother?

Part 2) What about Swede's sudden pullback after he had kissed Merry as a child could have caused her militant behavior later in life?

Part 3) What about Swede's inability to understand the impact his kiss had on Merry suggests he is unable to relate to others in his 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

Examine the character Merry. What is telling about the true nature of Merry based on her non-conformist choices like being militant or becoming a Jain?

(see the answer keys)

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