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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 is the name of Merry's speech therapist she stayed with after the bombing?

2. What word is used to describe Bill in addition to his feeling slightly superior?

3. What kind of condition had Dawn been suffering for five years after Merry's disappearance?

4. Where would Dawn go to swim to get away from others?

5. What does the narrator say Dawn did as a way to distance herself from the stigma of being a beauty queen?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Lou's feelings towards the Nixon administration described in the book?

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

3. Why did Dawn choose to raise cattle according to the narrator?

4. How is Swede's time as a marine described in Chapter 5?

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

6. How is Bill Orcutt described in Chapter 7?

7. How does Marcia describe Dawn's beauty pageants?

8. How does Merry live as a Jain?

9. How does Swede describe the time during the riots with his employee Vicky?

10. What did Dr. Salzman counsel the Levovs about?

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 Jerry and Swede. What is significant about the personality and moral differences in these two characters?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of stuttering in the book. What did Merry's bout with stuttering suggest about her mental health?

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