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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 "old idea" does Ruth bring up to Amanda in Chapter 17?

2. What farm does Clay pass in Chapter 20?

3. What kind of woman does Amanda believe herself to be in Chapter 22?

4. In Chapter 23, what does Amanda ask if the noise could have been?

5. Who is the only person Rose tells about seeing the deer?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 30, what does G.H. say he thinks is the most important thing during a crisis, the same thing that helped him build his fortune?

2. In Chapter 26, what happens to Archie?

3. In Chapter 23, what does G.H. suggest is the source of the unsettling thing that happens that even he does not believe?

4. In Chapter 22, what happens that startles and upsets everyone?

5. In Chapter 32, how do Amanda, Clay, Rose and Archie respond to the noise?

6. In Chapter 27, what does the narrator reveal about what is happening back in New York City?

7. In Chapter 23, what do Ruth and G.H. note is unusual about their surroundings?

8. What is the main reason Clay gets lost in Chapter 20?

9. In Chapter 21, what does Rose see in the woods that she points out to Archie?

10. In Chapter 20, how does Clay feel about the vacation as he drives around, lost?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Did you find the conclusion of this novel satisfactory as a reader? Write an essay explaining why or why not, supporting your arguments with specific references to the text.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay exploring the different reactions of the four main adults in the novel - Amanda, Clay, Ruth, and G.H. - the first time they hear "the noise."

Essay Topic 3

Which characters in the novel seem to have the most faith in other people, especially once the scale of the crises begins to become clearer? Which characters seem to lack as much of this kind of faith? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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