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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 does Richard attempt to do as he settles in to his new home?

2. To what does Richard compare implementation A?

3. Where does Richard try to draw stories out of people?

4. Whom does Richard end up talking with, mostly?

5. What does Richard conclude about Lentz's feelings about working together?

Short Essay Questions

1. What work do Richard and Lentz begin together?

2. What story does Harold Plover tell Richard about his daughters' language acquisition?

3. What were Richard's first few months in the Netherlands like with C.?

4. What has Lentz accomplished by the time he builds implementation F?

5. What changes with implementation H?

6. What does Richard see in Lentz's office?

7. What does Richard feel about himself and about his writing while Lentz is redesigning implementation B?

8. Describe the difference between Richard and C.'s letters to each other when C. goes to Europe ahead of Richard.

9. What is Richard's reaction when he finds out that Lentz has tricked him with implementation C?

10. Why was the fact of C.'s parents moving to Limburg a crisis for Richard and C.?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 2

How are Richard's and Helen's experiences parallel, insofar as Richard struggled with Dutch, and struggled to find a language he and C. could speak together in their relationship, and Helen struggles to generate analysis of literature? How are they similar? How are they different?

Essay Topic 3

How realistic is this book? What parts are not believable? What leaps of faith does the author require of the reader?

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