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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. How long has Nick's nurse stayed on night duty to care for him?

2. Where did Bugs meet Ad?

3. Why does Dr. Adams think Boulton picked a fight with him?

4. Where does Nick like to spend time at the hospital?

5. When do Nick and his nurse meet again?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how Hemingway's writing style captures the drama and bravado of Villalta, a very successful matador.

2. What is the significance of "The Three-Day Blow," the story's title?

3. What parallel does Hemingway draw between the fire-ravaged region Nick walks through at home and the war he has just left behind?

4. Describe the format of this book.

5. Why is Krebs short-tempered with his mother and her plans for his new life?

6. Who is the narrator of the Memoir for Chapter 13, and with whom does he interact in this very short scene?

7. How does Hemingway give Ad a sense of pride despite his seriously compromised situation?

8. Explain the symbolism of the disassembled fishing rods carried by the young American wife.

9. Explain why the mountain is a metaphor in the story "Cross-Country Snow" in Chapter 12.

10. What is a quai and what is its significance to the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

War is a recurring theme in the Memoirs and in some of the Stories in the book. How are killing and war perceived by the young men when it seems like sport at first? How do the perceptions change when they are seriously wounded, as Nick is? How do they manage the aftermath of war and the personal toll it takes on them?

Essay Topic 2

Hemingway gives Nick the ability to see beyond immediate pain and discomfort by putting him in situations that give him hope. Cite some examples where Nick's mood and spirits lift when his hopeful nature takes over.

Essay Topic 3

In the story in Chapter 10, "Cat in the Rain," the cat can represent many things for the American wife. What does the cat symbolize? Why does the cat elude her before she can catch it? Why does the hotel keeper have a cat sent to her room?

(see the answer keys)

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