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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 did the narrator stop to do on the way back to the airport in the Introduction?

2. Why does Chick recall that his mother barked at a neighborhood dog?

3. What family event was Chick Benetto not invited to?

4. Who does Chick find looking at him as he recovers from his jump in section 1?

5. What does Chick Benetto blame for the destruction of his marriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. When is the first time Chick's mother leaves him a special note?

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

3. What happens on the way to Chick's hometown?

4. Why does Chick return to his family home? What does he find there?

5. What impact does the setting have on Chick's family after the divorce?

6. Why is the word please carved into the side of tree?

7. Why did Chick's parents feel the need to get married quickly?

8. What after school activity did Chick pick even after his father left?

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

10. Why does the narrator say the story belongs to Chick Benetto?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss father-daughter relationships. How is Chick's relationship with his daughter like his own relationship with his father? How is Chick's relationship with his daughter like his relationship with his mother? Why is Chick's relationship with his daughter important to the plot of the novel? Who is Chick's daughter? How is Chick's sister's relationship with their mother different from Chick's relationship with their mother? Is this difference important to the developing plot? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following in detail, citing examples from the novel:

1) Point of view

2) The setting

3) Language and meaning

4) The structure, including the use of lists and newspaper announcements throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Chick's father. Who is Chick's father? Why did Chick's father leave the family? How did divorce affect Chick's relationship with his father? How did baseball play a role in Chick's relationship with his father? How did baseball pull Chick and his father apart?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 728 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample