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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. Why does Posey ask Chick to put on his coat after he has finished eating?

2. Why did Chick Benetto once wish his mother would leave him alone?

3. Why did a librarian tell Chick he could not read 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA by Jules Verne?

4. In section 1, from what object does Chick decide to jump?

5. Where did Posey met Len Benetto?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What was Posey's profession at the time of the divorce?

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

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

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

7. Why did Posey refer to Chick as a Daddy's boy?

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

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

10. What one thing does Chick recall always made his parents happy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss baseball. Why does Chick decide to go out for baseball? Why does Chick continue to play baseball? Why does Chick not tell his mother that his father comes to his college baseball games? Why does Chick leave college to play professional baseball? How does Posey feel about Chick making this choice? Does this baseball career give Chick the life he wants? Why or why not? Why does Chick finally decide to quit baseball? Why does Chick's father pressure him into playing an old-timers game? What is significant about this game?

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 one of the following and explain how it is a turning point within the plot:

1) Chick's car accident

2) The visit to Miss Thelma

3) The visit to the home of Chick's father

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 712 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample