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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. Matthew describes Rory and Henry looking like melded elements in "The Forces are Displayed" (76). What elements does he describe combined?
(a) Metal and fire.
(b) Water and clay.
(c) Water and fire.
(d) Sand and rust.

2. Which of his brothers does Matthew describe as "the invincible one: The human ball and chain" in "Barbarians" (25)?
(a) Clay.
(b) Rory.
(c) Henry.
(d) Tommy.

3. What two books did Penelope's father obsess over?
(a) The Quarryman and The Odyssey.
(b) The Iliad and The Odyssey.
(c) Ulysses and The Iliad.
(d) Finnegan's Wake and Ulysses.

4. Where did Michael and Abbey rent a small house when they returned to the city after marrying?
(a) Sayer Street.
(b) Pepper Street.
(c) Riverside Road.
(d) Smith Road.

5. What is the title of Part 3 of the novel?
(a) "Cities + Arches + Waters."
(b) "Cities + Waters + Criminals."
(c) "Cities + Criminals + Arches."
(d) "Cities + Waters + Arches."

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the local group that donated toys and household items to fire victims in the town where Michael grew up?

2. What is described as "the oddest part about the calendar" that was in the donation box sent to Michael (141)?

3. What object in the house does the narrator say "watched [the Murderer] from behind" in the end of "The Greeks Got Him" (34)?

4. What was the first thing Penelope bought after arriving in Australia?

5. How did Penelope break her nose on the night before her wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. What led to the end of Michael's relationship with Abbey?

2. What is revealed in the letters Clay receives in Part 4?

3. Who does "the Murderer" refer to and why does he come to the Dunbar home?

4. Discuss the structure of the novel. How is the story related?

5. What is the significance of the calendar that Michael got as a child?

6. How is Penelope's childhood described? Who raised her?

7. How did Penelope feel about emigrating from her childhood home? Why?

8. How did Clay obtain Michael's address?

9. How did Penelope gain the nickname "The Broken-Nosed Bride"?

10. How is Clay greeted upon returning to the Dunbar home in Part 4?

(see the answer keys)

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