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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. It is ______________ that Billy stops first to tell Dennis about Eva's deception.

2. What does Billy tell Dennis while at lunch?

3. Where had Billy gone to take a pledge to stop drinking?

4. Who is Dennis telling the story about Eva to in Chapter 2?

5. Who is visiting Dennis on the day Billy returns from Ireland?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the fate of the Irish girl?

2. What is the Long Island house and how did Dennis come to own it?

3. Where does Dennis take Billy to tell him the truth about Eva?

4. What shocking news had Dennis received from Eva's sister, Mary?

5. How do Dennis and Billy meet the two sisters from Ireland?

6. Describe how Billy's behavior is not far fetched, given the post-war climate they live in.

7. Explain the variances on the theme of love in Chapter 6.

8. Why does Dennis want to protect Billy's dream of Eva from his mother, Sheila?

9. When does Billy find out the real truth about Eva?

10. How does Billy's promise to Eva come about?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Alcohol abuse seems to be an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the abuse? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? How does it affect the abusers? How does it affect those impacted by the abusers? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 2

Although Billy's true love was always Eva, he married Maeve because he knew she was a good, loyal woman. Explain whether Billy did Maeve a service or disservice by marrying her. Why would Maeve choose to live with a man who was not deeply in love with her? Did she do a service or disservice to herself by marrying Billy? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses several instances of irony in the book. One example is the funeral dinner held at a bar for Billy who died from alcohol poisoning. Cite at least three other examples you can identify in the story and note why they are examples of irony.

(see the answer keys)

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