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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. How old was Tommy when he got lost in the city looking for the museum in "Survival of the Dunbar Boys"?

2. At what high school did Penelope work while raising her sons?

3. What color was Carey's hair?

4. Who had beaten Henry up in "The Grand Entrance"?

5. In what grade was Matthew when Jimmy Hartnell began bullying him about playing piano?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the bridge signify in the novel?

2. What does the clothing peg carried by Clay represent?

3. What illness did Penelope develop and how did it affect her?

4. How did Tommy come to own Achilles?

5. Why is Henry beaten up when he arrives home after Clay's return in Part 5?

6. What does Michael give Clay to take to Carey in Part 6?

7. Why does Clay blame himself for Carey's death?

8. How did Penelope respond when Matthew refused to practice piano in his youth?

9. What is the symbolic significance of the mattress at The Surrounds?

10. What is the significance of the cigarette pack in the piano?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of light in Bridge of Clay. How does the author describe the light in Australia? In what instances is the brightness of the sun used symbolically? What does it represent?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Clay Dunbar in Bridge of Clay. What is Clay's main objective in the narrative? Does he achieve this objective? How does Clay grow as a character in the course of the novel?

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