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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 continent did Zenas travel to?

2. What is the title of this chapter?

3. Who does Thurber think is downstairs?

4. What does Thurber say Old Aunt Melissa Beal can whistle like?

5. What does Grandfather say he recommended over the REO?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Thurber say about earthquakes in this chapter?

2. How did the town react to their mistake about the burst dam?

3. How does Aunt Grace try to get rid of burglars every evening?

4. How does Father react to Thurber coming into his room at 3 am?

5. How did people react to the claim the dam had burst?

6. How could Grandfather caused the family to drown?

7. Describe how the family erupts into chaos in the first chapter.

8. Summarize chapter four.

9. What is Briggs's nervous condition?

10. What happens inside the movie theater?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look at the generation gap between younger and the older characters. What different experiences did both generations go through? What problems is the generation gap causing the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 3

How did the Civil War change American society? How does Thurber express these changes?

(see the answer keys)

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