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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 was the first thing Penelope bought after arriving in Australia?

2. Where did Michael and Abbey rent a small house when they returned to the city after marrying?

3. Who said to Michael Dunbar when he was trying to state why he came in "The Forces are Displayed," "For Christ's sake, spit the fucking thing out!" (78)?

4. When did the East German government announce that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin?

5. How was Michael Dunbar's dog killed?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What essential information is related in the prologue of the novel?

3. What is the symbolic significance of the "ol' TW" in the novel (149)?

4. Who/what is Moon and what does it represent?

5. What is The Quarryman and why does the author reference it in the novel?

6. What pets do the Dunbars have? What is the significance of their names?

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

8. Where is Michael's home and the bridge site located? How is this setting described?

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

10. How did the relationship between Penelope and Michael begin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify three examples of imagery in Bridge of Clay (simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, etc.). What is being described? How does each example serve the reader? What effects do these comparisons have?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Matthew Dunbar. How old is Michael in the prologue and epilogue of the novel? What are his relationships like with his brothers? How does he feel about his parents? How does Matthew's character evolve in the course of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the narrative style of Bridge of Clay. From whose perspective is the story related? Why do you think the author has chosen this particular narrative voice? Is the narrator reliable or unreliable? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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