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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 does Bill order at the drug store ice cream counter which catches the attention of Helen?

2. Why does Helen invite Bill to her house the next day?

3. What does Douglas hide from Grandma to help her become a better cook?

4. What job does Mr. Jonas hold?

5. What feelings does Douglas hope to reconcile?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the various bottles of dandelion wine that were bottled from June and July represent to Douglas?

2. What does Douglas believe would have happened between Bill and Helen if they had been born at different times?

3. How does Douglas help Grandmother to be able to return to the excellent cook she always was before Aunt Rose came?

4. How does Lavinia come to be the one responsible for the death of the Lonely One?

5. What is unique about Mr. Jonas' business with the junkyard wagon and horse?

6. How does Tom keep an eye on Mr. Black so that Douglas and Tom can rescue Mme. Tarot?

7. What are the different views on Helen's death and how it relates to happy endings by Douglas and Tom?

8. What does Douglas wonder about his own memories and how they can or do travel?

9. What does Douglas think about Colonel Freeleigh's death that he feels comfortable sharing with Tom?

10. How did Douglas finish his tablet entry and when did he make the decision to finish the entry in this manner?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How is the theme of aging 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 this theme? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Some might say that by acknowledging that some day he will die leads to Douglas almost facing death by becoming very ill. Explain why this statement might be accurate and why it might be inaccurate. Use specific examples from the novel to support your explanations.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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