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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. On the way to Oree, where does the group have breakfast?

2. Who first suggests a white-water canoe trip?

3. In the Before section, what does the graphics studio client think will best sell his Kitt's product?

4. What tempts Ed to pull out of the canoe trip at the last minute?

5. While in Oree, what animal(s) does Ed wonder about getting a chance to hunt?

Short Essay Questions

1. Years after the trip, why do Ed and Lewis remain friends even though the experience has affected them in different ways?

2. Why is Ed fascinated by the map at the luncheon before the canoe trip?

3. What does Ed tell his wife when she asks if he really wants to go on the canoe trip?

4. Why does the Aintry sheriff's deputy react so negatively to the men's story?

5. Describe the map of the Cuhulawsassee River that Lewis shows to the men at the luncheon before the canoe trip.

6. When the group stops for a swim, why doesn't Bobby join them in the water?

7. After the rape, why does Ed side with Lewis and cast the deciding vote to hide the body instead of reporting the incident to the authorities?

8. What problem does Drew Ballinger's son have?

9. How does the canoe trip change Ed's attitude towards his work?

10. How does the discovery of Drew's body change the dynamics of the situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Survival is a recurring theme in the novel. Discuss at least three times in the novel in which a scene or event pivots on the concept of survival. One such scene might be Lewis explaining his preparing to survive an atomic attack, but there are others. Discuss the author's use of the theme of survival both before and during the canoe trip.

Essay Topic 2

The four men who embark on the canoe trip are representative of typical suburban men of the seventies. Write a few paragraphs about the following:

1) Describe a typical suburban man of the seventies.

2) Compare and contrast that man with a typical suburban man of today. Explain the differences and similarities.

3) The story is set in the South. Would the men have differed from men from similar suburbs in the North? If so, describe what those differences would be.

Essay Topic 3

When the men find Drew's body, they realize he may not have been killed by a gunshot after all. How does this discovery add to the plot twists and turns of the story? How does the uncertainty about the cause of Drew's death change the men's future actions? Explain how events following Drew's death are affected by the men's original belief that he was shot to death, then by the uncertainty about the cause of death. What did the author hope to accomplish with this plot twist?

(see the answer keys)

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