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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. How old is Nathan as he prepares a speech for his high school reunion in the book?

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

3. What celebrity does Merry become obsessed with as a child?

4. Whom does the man that tells Nathan he wrote a paper for him in school say his life was changed by?

5. What does the narrator say Swede is untouched by after their first meeting to write a piece for Swede?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What does Jerry tell Nathan that his brother Swede had in spite of being a big success in Chapter 3?

3. How does the narrator describe the lack of a generation gap in his neighborhood?

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

5. How does the narrator describe Swede's tribute to his father?

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

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

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

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

10. What is the nature of the description of Newark Maid Leatherware?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book, the author imparts some popular and groundbreaking events that occurred throughout 1960s culture.

Part 1) What role did groups like the Weathermen play in the book?

Part 2) What portrayal of the Vietnam War was the author able to put forward to give a true sense of the country's feelings about the war?

Part 3) What purpose did the author have for including so many references to 1960s culture in regard to setting a tone?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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