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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 does author John Grogan call the place where he got his childhood dog?

2. What was the Labrador retriever originally bred for?

3. What was the "Marley Memo" mentioned in Chapter 10 referring to?

4. Marley was named after the late singer Bob Marley. What kind of music did he make?

5. When John and Jenny went to look at Lori's litter, they met Lily, the mother of the puppies. Which three words best describe Lily?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did the Grogans come to name Marley?

2. How was the Grogans' trip to Ireland?

3. Why did John decide to surprise Jenny with a three-week stay in Ireland?

4. How did John describe the first dog her ever had?

5. Dr. Jay also recommended another action for Marley, to help with his behavior. What was it? What was John's reaction?

6. What did Jenny and John decide to do and why?

7. What were the events that surrounded baby Patrick's birth?

8. How did John's first night with Marley at home go?

9. Even when Marley was still a fairly young dog, he was large and many people perceived him as being an attack dog. Why was John glad of this?

10. What did the Grogans decide to do with Marley at the age of six months and what was the result of this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Marley & Me is a first person narrative, told from John Grogan's point-of-view. Briefly explain how the first person narrative is effective and how it is limited. Give four specific examples that show how the memoir is effective when told from John Grogan's point of view, and how our vicarious experience of them is enhanced.

Essay Topic 2

State the theme of Marley & Me. How is the theme of the story reflected in the conflict John Grogan experiences with Marley? Give four examples with an explanation for each one.

Essay Topic 3

Define memoir as a literary genre. What elements of the memoir are found in Marley & Me? Briefly outline the main points of Marley's life as they are described in the book and discuss why you believe they are or are not appropriate inclusions in a memoir about a man and his dog.

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