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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. Which of the following is noted as Amy’s favorite book?

2. In which of the following publications does Fife publish reviews and essays?

3. Which of the following jobs does Fife hold in Boston?

4. Which of the following is noted as Amanda’s last name?

5. Which of the following serves the Chapmans as a secretary?

Short Essay Questions

1. From what source do the Chapmans have money?

2. What reasons does Fife give for appreciating the sounds of jet engines from inside the plane?

3. What technique does Fife use to overcome panic aboard the plane?

4. How is the weather on the day of the interview described?

5. What distinction does the novel make between immigrants and refugees?

6. What advice does Emma have for Malcolm concerning the lucidity of Fife’s narration?

7. Who, per Fife, is Howard Levy, and why is he imprisoned?

8. After what does Fife pattern his appearance while living with the Chapmans?

9. What reasons does Fife give for wanting to escape life with Amy in Boston?

10. What objection do the Chapmans initially raise to Fife’s son’s name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Does the epigraph from Pessoa connect to the novel? If so, how so? If not, what purpose might it serve, and how might it serve it?

Essay Topic 2

Of note is that the date on which the events of the framing narrative fall occurs on a Sunday. What implications does the day of the week have for the narrative, and how are they borne out?

Essay Topic 3

Consider the following: “Fife asks Sloan if she can imagine believing […] that she’s already ruined her life. He means destroyed her future, shut off all possibilities of ever realizing the American dream, or the Canadian dream, although he doesn’t think there actually is a Canadian Dream” (57). Does the novel bear out the last assertion, that there is no Canadian dream? How or how not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 630 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample