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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. Who is referred to as "the moneymaker, the friendly one" in "Warming Up the Clay Way" (19)?

2. Matthew describes Rory and Henry looking like melded elements in "The Forces are Displayed" (76). What elements does he describe combined?

3. How tall is the Murderer described as being in "Portrait of a Killer as a Middle-Aged Man"?

4. What was Claudia's surname before she married?

5. What animals did Matthew dig up before finding the typewriter in "Before the Beginning"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Where is the Murderer when Matthew finds him in the house in Part 1? What is he doing?

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

7. Where did Michael and Abbey go after high school? Why?

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

9. How is the setting of The Surrounds described?

10. Where did Michael Dunbar grow up? Who raised him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the setting of The Surrounds. Where is this setting located in relation to the Dunbar home? Who frequents this setting? Why? How is the setting described? What does it symbolize?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the themes of guilt, self-blame, and loss in Bridge of Clay. How are these themes developed through the novel's characters? Who struggles the most with guilt and self-blame? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the symbolism of the pets in the Dunbar home. What are the pets' names? Why is this significant? Who cares for the pets? What do these pets each represent?

(see the answer keys)

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