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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 type of jewelry does Striker notice Rudy wearing at the their initial meeting?

2. What does Michael want to do for Gina in the early part of their relationship?

3. What does Gina destroy shortly before the birth of her daughter?

4. What year did Michael take a photograph of Gina and Wanda in the bowling alley that he liked so much he ordered two prints?

5. What type of social program does Striker begin at Aloha Lanes in chapter 21?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Michael leave his daughter and go in search of his missing wife in chapter 19?

2. What picture does Striker have of his wife and how does this connect him with Wanda Schultz?

3. Who is M.J. Striker and why has he come to work at the Aloha Lanes bowling alley in chapter 20?

4. What does Striker see in the street in chapter 22? How does this make Striker feel?

5. What symbolic item is mentioned in chapter 18 that is related to a similar item symbolically important to Wanda Schultz?

6. In the beginning of Part Two, how does the narration change?

7. What car accident does Striker witness in chapter 22? How is this ironic?

8. What story does Irma Kosminsky tell Striker over dinner in chapter 21?

9. What is Yeats and what does it stand for in Striker's life?

10. What character seems to tell Striker how he can pull Irma out of her depression in chapter 21?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Detective Tink Lorenzini? Why does Wanda insist on taking on this persona? For what purpose? Who is Troy? How does Troy react to Wanda's desire to find Peter? Why does Wanda rush across the street in chapter 16? Who did she think she saw? Who did she really see? What happens to Wanda? Why does she refuse to speak after her recovery has begun? What does this say about Wanda's state of mind? How does this impact the people around her?

Essay Topic 2

How does Margaret meet Gus McPherson? What role does Gus play in Margaret's life? What gift does Margaret make to Wanda in chapter 12? What does this say about their changing relationship? Why does Margaret suddenly begin making friends and coming out of her reclusive lifestyle when she learns she is dying? What does this say about Margaret's character? Do Margaret's new friends know about her illness? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss one of the following in detail, using quotes from the novel to support your conclusions:

1) Themes that appear in the plot, including friendship, grief, mortality, and family.

2) Character relationships, including an analysis of how they impact character motivation, how they change with time, and how characters change with changing relationships.

3) The use of the authorial voice in the narration of the novel, as well as the chosen point of view of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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