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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 was Eva's sister?

2. Who were the girls that Billy and Dennis had met while swimming in the bay many years ago?

3. What was the nature of Eva's death according to Dennis?

4. What event has just occurred at the beginning of Chapter 1?

5. What is Billy's condition when Dennis' daughter returns to the house?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Explain the foreshadowing of Dennis' daughter meeting Matt in Chapter 3.

4. What had Sheila's life been like after her parents died?

5. How does Dennis' daughter meet Matt?

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

7. What job do Dennis and Billy take on after they return from the war in 1945?

8. How does Maeve begin to work herself into Billy's life?

9. How did Billy meet Maeve?

10. What was Billy's habit of writing notes to people?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Long Island house almost becomes a character in the book because it plays such an important role in the story. Explain how an inanimate object can be a character in a story and how the house "interacted" with the "other" characters. Cite three examples to support your claim.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall setting for the book. Then drill down to describe the three most important settings related to the plot. Explain the significance for each location as it relates to the story.

Essay Topic 3

Just prior to meeting Eva, Billy and Dennis return home from World War II. Explain the significance of this war on America in general and Billy and Dennis specifically. What impact did the war have on the choices that Billy and Dennis made? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,082 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample