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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 does Swede see having sex in the kitchen of his house at the end of Chapter 7?

2. Where does Swede recall knocking Bill flat when they were in high school?

3. What is the family's name that first hid Merry after the bombing?

4. What is the name of a Jewish man who praises Swede and pressures him to join a local Jewish organization?

5. Who does Swede see pretending to listen closely in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Swede's conversation with Bill, Jessie, and Lou described in Chapter 9?

2. What does Lou say he is ashamed of Jerry for in Chapter 7?

3. What does Merry tell Swede she did while in Miami in Chapter 6?

4. What does Swede witness when he walks in on Dawn and Bill in his kitchen during the dinner party?

5. What realization does Swede come to about Sheila in Chapter 9?

6. What reason does Swede say is the only reason Dawn entered beauty pageants?

7. How does Swede describe Barry Umanoff and Marcia Schwartz's marriage?

8. How is Swede's mother affected by Merry's disappearance in Chapter 7?

9. How does Sheila explain her reason for taking Merry in, to Swede in Chapter 9?

10. How does Swede compare his life to Johnny Appleseed?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Early in the story it becomes clear that the author has made use of a narrator to tell this story.

Part 1) What purpose might the author have for choosing to use a narrator to tell the story of Swede?

Part 2) What is that reader able to learn about the book's characters that they would not have because of the narrator?

Part 3) What clues are given to suggest that the author has used his own persona as the narrator of the story?

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

Throughout the book, one of the things given a great deal of detail is the author's portrayal of America.

Part 1) How does Swede's love of America reflect the sentiments of his neighborhood growing up?

Part 2) What do Merry's political beliefs as a young woman say about her feelings towards America?

Part 3) Does the author paint a favorable picture of America?

(see the answer keys)

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