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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 long after his father's disappearance did Clay begin looking for him?

2. When growing up, Matthew says that he and his brothers should have had what printed on t-shirts because they said it a dozen times a day (244)?

3. When Carey began writing letters to a horse trainer about becoming a jockey, how did she sign the letters?

4. What is the name of the horse that the narrator claims got Ted in the end in "The Girl at Gallery Road"?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Tommy come to own Achilles?

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

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

4. How is Ted Novac described?

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

6. Why did Clay begin disappearing after Penelope's death? What did Matthew do about it?

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

8. Who is Claudia Kirkby and what is her importance in the novel?

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

10. Who is Jimmy Hartnell and what role does he play in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the literary and mythological allusions in Bridge of Clay. What classical works are frequently referred to? What is their significance? How do these works connect to the overall themes of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the symbolism of the bridge in Bridge of Clay. What does the bridge represent to the characters in the story? What does it represent to you as a reader? What themes are evoked through this symbolism?

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