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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. To what activity does everyone compare piloting a plane?

2. For what does Russell apply in hopes of going to college?

3. Where does Russell invite Mimi, only to give her hours of walking tour history lessons?

4. In what areas is Russell's knowledge extremely limited?

5. Where does Harold tell Russell he was shot during World War I?

Short Essay Questions

1. What news prompts Lucy to send Russell out right away to sell his papers in 1939?

2. Why is Russell sent to the principle's office at his new school?

3. What happens on Russell and Mimi's date to Washington?

4. What part of adult life is Russell missing, according to his assessment of his friends?

5. What are Russell and Lucy's letters back and forth about?

6. Where does Russell work in his final year of high school?

7. Why is Russell denied membership to his high school honor's society?

8. How does Russell remember Uncle Harold?

9. How does Charlie Sussman help Russell go to college?

10. When Germany surrenders, where is Russell sent to await orders?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Lucy's obsession with "a home of our own." Is this her ultimate goal? How does she work toward this goal? Choose three instances from the text to illustrate Lucy's desire for a home of their own. How does she finally achieve this goal? How does her achievement affect Russell's life?

Essay Topic 2

Examine Lucy's letters to and from Oluf. Though Russell did not discover these letters until later in life, they represent an important part of Lucy's history. Go through each letter provided in the text and make a chronicle of the relationship between Lucy and Oluf--what would such a relationship have meant to her? Why must the two break off the romance? Does young Russell notice anything amiss in their day to day life? Be sure to cite quotations from the text.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapters 1 and 2, Russell questions the disconnect between parents and children by comparing his children to himself as a child.

1) Do you think such a disconnect exists? Why or why not?

2) Explain your answer using examples from the text.

3) What did Russell learn about his parents later in life? How could the new information help inform his writing process?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 576 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample