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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 are the names of Rose’s brothers in the novel?

2. What is the name of the horse that Sam Pickles starts betting on in Chapter IV?

3. What half-brother of Oriel Lamb’s was killed in Palestine in World War I?

4. Who does Quick Lamb take with him to row the skiff upriver in Chapter IV?

5. Where is Quick Lamb supposed to row the skiff to a dock at in Chapter IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Sam’s actions in Chapter III propel the plot of the narrative forward?

2. How are Quick Lamb and Rose Pickles described in the beginning of Chapter V? How old are they at this point?

3. What scene is depicted in the brief section prior to the opening of Chapter I?

4. What is the central event that dominates Chapter II? Why is this event important in the story?

5. How is Fish’s mental capacity changed after his accident?

6. How is the concept of “luck” perceived by the members of the Pickles family? Where did this perception of luck derive from?

7. What is foreshadowed through the character of the black man that appears in Chapter III?

8. What is foreshadowed by the central event that occurs in Chapter II of the novel?

9. What theme is introduced through the character of Rose Pickles in the beginning of Chapter I?

10. What events occur in January of 1951, according to the narrator in Chapter V?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the traditions, history, origins, and cultural relevance of Guy Fawkes Day and its celebration by the Lambs and Pickles in Chapter IV. Why does Fish Lamb become upset when the Guy Fawkes effigy is burned? What does his behavior symbolize?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the character of Dolly Pickles and her relationship with her husband Sam. How is Dolly’s appearance described in Chapter I? What clues in the text indicate dissatisfaction within Dolly regarding her marriage to Sam Pickles? How is Dolly’s relationship with her children characterized?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the characters of Lester and Oriel Lamb in the novel. How old are Lester and Oriel when the story begins? How many children do they have? How is their relationship characterized? In what ways are the Lambs similar and different than the Pickles family?

(see the answer keys)

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