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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 singer does Vern see in the restaurant?

2. Where does Ben live in the early part of Part II?

3. What does Alec bring to his older son's room to wake him up in Part II?

4. Why does the person Alec is asking for a job tell him he has hesitations for hiring him?

5. What does Ben usually do most nights to help calm himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part II, what does Alec spend a lot of time doing besides working?

2. Who encourages Mike not to fight with Ben and Trevor, and why does she do this?

3. What is one reason Alec feels distant from his son?

4. Why does Alec's mentor have some misgivings about him going into the line of work he has chosen?

5. Why is Trevor upset with Ben in Part II?

6. What is one action Alec focuses on and participates in in his organizing work in Part II?

7. What reasons does Spufford imagine that might have prevented the Woolworth's bombing?

8. Why does the doctor and medical students analyze Ben's case in Part II?

9. Who does Vern become distracted by during his business dinner in Part I and why does this happen?

10. How does Val meet Mike and why is she attracted to him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Spufford describe Ben's and Marsha's relationship, and why does it work so well even though it appears unconventional on the surface? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Jo eventually move back to London, and how does her move change the course of her life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Spufford describe the bombing that takes the lives of his five main characters when they are young children in Part I? What kind of language and tone does the writer employ? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 686 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample