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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 Chick Benetto believe he was not invited to this family event?

2. What does Posey create out of toilet paper for Chick's Halloween costume when he is six?

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

4. Who supposedly attempted to kill himself/herself?

5. Why does Chick claim he did not check on the driver of the truck involved in his accident?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What does Chick say after breakfast that causes his mother to question him?

5. What draws Chick's attention to the table top in his mother's kitchen as his mother treats his wounds?

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

7. When did Chick say he felt he became a Mommy's boy?

8. What offends Chick when a man calls his mother a divorcee?

9. Who does Chick see when he jumps from the water tower?

10. Why does the narrator in the Introduction say you might call this novel a ghost story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss symbolism. Chick's father gives him a pair of old shoes that he once used while playing ball. Discuss the significance of these shoes and how the author uses them as a symbol of Chick's life and of his relationship with his father.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

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