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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 long did Swede have an affair with Sheila Salzman?

2. What is Barry's last name in the book?

3. What does the person Swede calls after he has seen Merry in Chapter 6 tell him to do in regard to Merry?

4. What did Lou often blame for Merry's bad behavior in addition to her mother?

5. What motto does Merry have written on her wall as a young woman?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Marcia remark about regarding social conditions in Chapter 8?

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

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

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

5. How does Swede suggest that the Miss New Jersey pageant ruined Dawn?

6. How does Dawn describe her home with Swede to her architect?

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

8. How does Merry live as a Jain?

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

10. What does Swede realize regarding Merry's mental health in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Compare and contrast the character Dawn and Marcia. What do the differences in these two characters' ideologies suggest about the natures of their characters?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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