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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 fruit did Marley have an insatiable appetite for?

2. When it came to dog breeds, why did John and Jenny choose a Labrador retriever?

3. Which pair of words would best describe John and Jenny's vacation?

4. What advice does John give the reader about getting a dog?

5. Soon after they found out Jenny was pregnant, the Grogans had to treat Marley for fleas. Why did this worry them?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was Buddy and what was the result of his visit to the Grogans?

2. The day after the news of the first pregnancy's loss, what did John buy for Jenny and what was the result of this?

3. Once he did a little research, what did John learn about Labrador Retrievers?

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

5. What was happening in the Grogans' neighborhood a year or so after the birth of Patrick?

6. 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?

7. What did the Grogans see as they left Lori's and what did they realize?

8. How did the Grogans chose Marley?

9. The Grogans are excited about their first pregnancy but their happiness is short lived. Why?

10. How was the Grogans' trip to Ireland?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In memoir writing, the author's personal presence must exist to make it authentic. Give five examples where John Grogan's personal presence is apparent and for two of those examples, explain why you think he chose to make it so.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Define "epiphany" as it is used in writing. What epiphany did John Grogan arrive at when he visited Shanksville, PA on September 11, 2003? How did he arrive at that epiphany? How does this event influence the remainder of the memoir?

(see the answer keys)

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