View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Dad make the children swim every day?

2. When a tea party was thrown for Mother, what was required of the children?

3. Where did the family vacation every summer?

4. What was the name of the boat Dad purchased?

5. In Chapter 8, what does the reader learn about Mother's family?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the children get along with Mother's relatives in California?

2. Why did Dad insist on setting up movie cameras when the children had their tonsils removed?

3. Why were the children harassed at school?

4. While the family was on summer vacation, what educational strategies did Dad employ?

5. Why did Dad have the children collect wooden pencils?

6. When a psychologist came to visit, why did the children retaliate against her?

7. How were the children trained to treat house guests?

8. Describe the incident when Dad fell overboard the boat.

9. What did Dad attempt to do each year on their summer vacation, which caused tension between him and Mother?

10. How did Dad reinforce the importance of good table manners?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dad's desire to have his children excel sometimes superseded the well-being of the children. Discuss three examples of this from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Foreshadowing was used twice in the book to express Dad's anxieties about dying at a young age. Cite two specific examples of this from the book and how the examples foreshadowed Dad's actual death at age 55.

Essay Topic 3

Dad had a strong personality, was a strong leader, and therefore had a strong influence on the children. Discuss the influences that Dad had on the children and how they were positive or negative. What character traits did he instill in the children? How did his leadership style influence their personalities and interests?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 838 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample