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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 condition of the person who summons Walter?

2. Who does Gabriel visit with during the voyage?

3. What university is Felix set to attend?

4. How many children does Smith have in Part One?

5. Why does Smith think Wheech-Browning is coming to his farm?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part One, Chapter Four, why is Felix upset with Gabriel?

2. What benefit is Bilderbeck to Gabriel?

3. In Part Two, Chapter Four, Gabriel receives three letters. What do the letters say and who are they from?

4. How does the author use point of view in the novel?

5. What are Walter's thoughts on a war early in the novel?

6. Describe how Walter ended up in Africa.

7. Describe Gabriel's recovery in Part Two, Chapter Eleven.

8. What happens in Part Two, Chapter Five when Gabriel's unit goes ashore?

9. What is the purpose of Wheech-Browning's visit to Walter's farm?

10. Describe Felix's interactions with his family in Part One, Chapter Four.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Charis commit suicide? What are the factors behind her choice? What does she think will happen if others know the truth about her infidelity? Is her decision a selfish one?

Essay Topic 2

Felix and Gabriel are two brothers who are the main characters in the novel It is clear that there is conflict between the two, but their relationship will play a key role in the novel. Analyze the similarities and differences between Felix and Gabriel and what effect this has on the novel. Use examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

In Part Two, Chapter Twelve, Walter's meeting Wheech-Browning provides another scene that begins as comedy. For some reason Wheech-Browning considers Walter a dear friend but cannot understand how the topic of the coffee seedlings upsets Walter. Walter is equally to blame in failing to understand that Wheech-Browning is merely performing his job in insisting that Walter pay the customs taxes. The scene ends in another death, and as Wheech-Browning says, it seems that every time the two of them get near a machine someone dies. In an essay, analyze Boyd's use of comedy in An Ice Cream War.

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