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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 Paul hoping will happen in Europe?

2. What causes Paul to feel wrong about his actions with Kite?

3. Why is it surprising Bobby makes it to high school and college?

4. Why does Paul choose Elihu?

5. Paul feels his entrance to Philips is the reverse of what movie?

Short Essay Questions

1. Compare and contrast the student population of Philips with the public schools Paul attends in Andover.

2. How does Paul change as soon as he attends college?

3. What does Bobby's education consist of? How does he show appreciation for the Marland sisters many years later?

4. Compare and contrast how Alex and Paul handle being gay in Andover. What consequences are there for each of them?

5. What is Paul's reaction and determination as Sean spends more time with alone or with Amy during summer break in California?

6. Why does Paul apply for Philips Academy? What does he hope for at a new high school with different people?

7. Paul Monette follows what theory in regards to homosexuality? Explain the theory.

8. Describe in detail what Paul sees as he gets his lunch by the sixth grade lockers. What is his reaction?

9. How does Paul relate to Jarrel's poem "The Woman at the Washington Zoo?"

10. What qualities/characteristics attracts Paul to Kite? How does his upbringing influence his attraction to Kite?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write about the different ways Paul and other gays in the book cope with their sexual preference. Do more hide it or are there more gay men who feel comfortable showing their real selves? Does it matter where the person is raised? Does it matter what age? Consider Raf, Lonnie, Alex, Paul, Doug, etc.

Essay Topic 2

Describe Paul's relationship with his father and compare it to Bobby's relationship with their father. What bonds does BIg Paul have with the boys? In what way? Does one relationship seem stronger than the other? How so? How does it come to be this way?

Essay Topic 3

As Paul writes his autobiography he accentuates certain ideas and words by capitalizing or italicizing them. Find examples from the book where he does this and explain the significance of the accentuation. Example are capitalizing "Experience" and "Brothers" or italicizing the word "Nothing." When does he feel the need to capitalize and italicize? How does it affect the reader's feelings as they read it?

(see the answer keys)

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