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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 the narrator believe the tribute to Swede's father was a cover to hide?

2. What kind of diary does Rita later make Swede give to her for Merry in Chapter 4?

3. What is the first war Merry become militant about?

4. How does the narrator say Dawn feels toward Merry?

5. What kind of world does the narrator note that Swede has naturally incorporated himself into?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does one doctor say about Merry's stuttering in regard to her perfectionist family?

3. What does Nathan decide he will do to complete his story on Swede in Chapter 3?

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

5. What happens when Merry asks Swede if he would kiss her as he did her mother when she was a young child?

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

7. What is the nature of Nathan's conversation with Ira at the high school reunion?

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

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

10. How is Rita's first visit to the glove factory described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the character Dawn. In what way did Dawn create her own depression by placing the blame on Merry's indiscretions?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters Dawn and Merry. What does Dawn's insistence on making Merry her mirror image say about the struggles within these two characters

Essay Topic 3

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?

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