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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Once David finds out that Nic's phone has been pinging against towers in three states, whom does he call for help?
(a) The Portland Police and the FBI.
(b) The Sacramento Police and the FBI.
(c) The Billings Police and the FBI.
(d) The Reno Police and the FBI.

2. To what location does David fly after finding out about Nic's overdose?
(a) Connecticut.
(b) New York.
(c) Massachusetts.
(d) Ohio.

3. In what town do Karen and David attend their first Al-Anon meeting?
(a) Novato.
(b) Florence.
(c) San Juan Batista.
(d) Santa Clarita.

4. Who ends up helping Nic pay the debt he owes due to stealing checks from a family friend?
(a) Charles.
(b) Vicki.
(c) David.
(d) Z.

5. What is NOT a task Nic calls his father David to report taking during his longest period of sobriety within the narrative?
(a) He has saved some money.
(b) He has purchased a house.
(c) He has secured a credit card.
(d) He has opened a bank account.

Short Answer Questions

1. Whom does David call when he wants someone to check on Nic after he stops returning phone calls?

2. What book does Nic pick up reading to his younger siblings where he had left off more than two years prior?

3. How does David interpret Nic's glance over his shoulder as the two drive up to St. Helena Hospital?

4. What movie does David describe seeing as a portrait of "a wretched alcoholic" (180)?

5. Who checks on Nic at Hampshire College at David's behest?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss examples of contingency management strategies that have been shown to be effective in managing addiction.

2. How late is Nic when he sets a lunch date with his father at the restaurant Steps of Rome?

3. What new hobby does Nic take up around the time when David regains his memory after surviving a cerebral hemorrhage?

4. What is the main element of twelve-step recovery programs that Nic rejects?

5. Discuss Sheff's use of medical diction in order to depict the theme of family bonds.

6. In what way is the theme of hope demonstrated in David's mention of St. Helena Hospital?

7. What is the symbolism of Nic's note to Jasper?

8. What element does Sheff name as "the bitterest irony of early sobriety" (228)?

9. For what purpose does Sheff use the allusion to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

10. What distinction does Sheff make between useful guilt and guilt that is not useful?

(see the answer keys)

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