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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 season is it as the novel opens?

2. How many days does Leo spend working on the Happiness Machine?

3. How old was Helen in the picture that she shows to the children?

4. What makes Lena furious about the time Leo spent working on the Happiness Machine?

5. Which of the following doesn't Helen show to the children?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Tom's fears come to surround him, make him feel, and expand into his imagination?

2. What do Douglas and his father experience very differently and provide one example of how they see the same event quite differently?

3. Why did the accident with Mr. Quartermain distress Miss Fern and Miss Roberta so much?

4. Name two examples where Douglas tried to cling to something in order to control destiny or change.

5. What is the overall tone of the opening of this novel and why do you believe that is the case?

6. Describe, in detail, the major themes focused on within this section of reading.

7. Why does Douglas believe that he must get new sneakers to keep his new found sense of aliveness?

8. What does the beating of the rugs symbolize to Douglas and Tom both?

9. How does Leo rationalize to a displeased Lena that the Happiness Machine is a necessity?

10. How did Helen overcome her exasperation at the children not being able to accept the fact that she was once young?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Kinship and personal connections are often explored throughout the novel. How and why is this an important part of the novel's themes? Do you agree with the way the author portrays these concepts? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Describe in detail the changes Douglas undergoes throughout the novel. Use specific details from the novel to support your description. Do you believe the changes were for the positive? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

How are the themes of man and nature developed throughout the novel. Use specific examples from the text to support your statements. Do you believe the author does a good job at developing these themes? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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