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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. How long after Eddie's death does the park reopen?

2. In Chapter Twelve, who beckons Eddie to come nearer?

3. What does Eddie realize about his life as a maintenance worker, after speaking with Tala?

4. For whom does Eddie's father cry when he is hospitalized?

5. What does the reader learn about Eddie's character in Chapter Eight?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the person whose key shredded the cable connected to the Pier?

2. Eddie washes Tala with a stone. What is the significance of this action?

3. How does the reader know that Eddie's memory will be kept alive at the Pier?

4. Describe Eddie's relationship with Joe.

5. How is Eddie's and Marguerite's relationship impacted by the fallout from the track and Marguerite's accident?

6. Why is the stranger Eddie meets in Chapter Eight so significant in his life?

7. What was Eddie's relationship like with his father?

8. How does the estate attorney view Eddie's life?

9. For what was Eddie supposed to save his money, instead of gambling?

10. What does Marguerite teach Eddie in Heaven?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Blue Man tells Eddie, "That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind." (p. 48, ll. 1-3) Show how this quote is one of the main lessons throughout the novel. Be sure to cite at least three specific examples and connect them back to the quote.

Essay Topic 2

Albom changes the setting many times throughout the novel, but Ruby Pier remains as the main focus. Discuss how the Ruby Pier of Eddie's childhood, the Ruby Pier of the past, and the Ruby Pier of the present serve as effective settings for the novel.

Essay Topic 3

The reader first meets Eddie as an eighty-three year old man who performs maintenance at Ruby Pier. As the story unfolds, the reader learns of Eddie's younger years, and the action takes the reader back to the moment of his death when Eddie finally comes "home" to Heaven. Discuss how the novel comes full circle, being sure to reference several main points from Eddie's life.

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