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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 sport does the narrator claim the main character once played?

2. Where does Chick go after he wakes from his fall from the water tower?

3. What did Posey want Chick to do as an adult?

4. Who does Chick call after sneaking out of work in Section 1?

5. How late for work was Chick on the Monday morning after receiving the evidence of the family event he missed?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Chick Benetto drive toward his home town?

2. What did the narrator later find belonging to Chick Benetto that was used in writing this book?

3. What event caused Chick Benetto to lose faith in himself?

4. What causes Chick's mother to stop playing her favorite record?

5. To whose wedding is Chick Benetto not invited?

6. What phrase does Chick feel describes him completely?

7. What reason does Posey give for dumping food given to the family by nuns down the disposal?

8. What game does the narrator learn that Chick Benetto once played as a professional player?

9. What word did Chick's mother help Chick find the definition for despite his father's disapproval of her help?

10. What question does the narrator pose at the end of the Introduction?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Posey. What is Posey's real name? What is her profession? How does Chick feel when he learns that his mother cleaned houses to help pay for his college tuition? Why is Chick surprised by this? What does this choice say about Posey and her love for her children? What does this choice say about Posey's life after her divorce? Why did Posey stop working as a nurse? What does that say about Posey's morals? About the morals of others? Why did Posey never remarry?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss character development. Chick changes from the time he is a boy until he becomes an adult, then changes again as he becomes an adult and must deal with his mother's death. Discuss how these changes come about, what causes them, and how they affect Chick's overall attitude toward life. Discuss how these changes bring about other changes in Chick's life, such as his divorce, and how they affect his relationships with those he cares about.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the writer's style. Discuss in detail the writer's choice to structure his book in the way he has, the use of the newspaper clips and lists, his choice of words, his use of dialogue, and his choice of chapter names. Discuss how each of these choices affects the reader's overall impression of the novel and the themes within the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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