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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 is the name of Vern's failed company in Part III?

2. Who is Alec's first grandchild who he sometimes looks after?

3. What is Marsha's business?

4. What is Alec anxious to do while he is watching his grandchild in Part IV?

5. What does the priest ask Val in Part IV to do, if she wishes?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some things about Marsha that Ben admires?

2. How does Marsha change Ben's life?

3. Why does Jo never end up playing her music for Ricky in Part III?

4. What idea does Vern get after visiting Alec?

5. What does Alec end up doing after he loses his job as a typesetter?

6. What does Mike do in Part III that horrifies Val and changes the course of her life?

7. What does Jo tell Ricky she misses in Part III?

8. What is Val's life like with Mike in Part III?

9. In Part III, what does Jo want from Ricky?

10. Why did Pastor Michael dislike Ben when they first met?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some of the most significant factors that hold Jo back from achieving success as a musician in her own right? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

What does the linotype, and Alec's experiences with it, ultimately come to symbolize? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Which character or characters do you think, by the end of the novel, feel(s) most comfortable and at peace with their life's choices and direction? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

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