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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 three things did Posey once tell Chick he needed to be successful?

2. What does Posey say to Chick when he asks why she never remarried after her divorce?

3. What does the caller say when Chick answers the phone at Rose's house?

4. Who suddenly shows up at one of Chick's college baseball games, causing him to fight back emotion?

5. In a note written to Chick on his wedding day, what does Posey say she knows Chick thinks of the notes?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who encourages Chick to leave town the day of his mother's birthday? Why?

2. What does Chick hear when he answers the phone at Rose's house?

3. What happens when Chick hears the strange voice once again?

4. What are the two days at college Chick shares with the reader?

5. What does the Italian woman say when she catches sight of Posey and Chick in her mirror?

6. What does Chick claim he does not want to be?

7. What did Posey often do for some of the patients in the hospital where she worked as a nurse?

8. To whom does Posey take Chick to visit after dinner?

9. What job does Chick learn his mother did in order to help pay his college tuition?

10. What do they call a short stay in professional baseball?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the narrator. Why does the narrator not tell the reader who she is at the beginning of the novel? Why does the narrator suggest she has only just met Chick Benetto when in fact she has known him her whole life? Who is the narrator? What role does the narrator play in Chick Benetto's attempted suicide? What caused the narrator to play this role in Chick Benetto's suicide? What changes in the narrator's relationship with Chick Benetto between the death of Posey, the near death of Chick Benetto, and Chick's telling of this story? Why?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Whose voice does Chick hear on the phone at Rose's? When does Chick hear the voice again? Why does Chick believe he is the only one hearing the voice? Where is the voice coming from? Who does the voice belong to? What does this voice represent to Chick? What does Chick do about this voice?

(see the answer keys)

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