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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 the son in Death of a Salesman that Viorst uses as an example of the restricting roles some parents foist on their children?

2. A capacity to feel pleasure in the pleasures of other people is an example of what?

3. A man in his forties confessed to Viorst that he reviewed his life insurance policy after he was diagnosed with what?

4. Which sex tends to have only superficial relationships?

5. According to Otto Kernberg, adolescent romantic love is the normal, crucial beginning of what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is described as the ultimate separation in Chapter 18?

2. How did Viorst's three friends approach death differently?

3. What does it mean if a child and mother aren't a good fit?

4. Name the five stages of dying described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Briefly describe each stage.

5. Why does our focus shift in middle age to discovering our family's history?

6. What is the fundamental tension in all man-woman marriages?

7. According to the book, when does the way we will handle aging begin?

8. According to Freud, is it unusual to have sexual feelings toward friends? How does this impact our friendships with the opposite sex?

9. What are some of the different types of loss and mourning discussed in Chapter 16? Do we experience them all in the same way?

10. According to Chapter 17, what redefines us throughout our lives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the proposal by the author that extended separation from a mother can result in permanent emotional damage in light of our societal structure. If, as the author proposes, our entire societal structure is called into question by a child's absolute need for his or her mother, in what ways would you go about restructuring our society? What changes would you make? How involved should government be? What role would churches and other community organizations play in shifting the priorities of an entire society?

Essay Topic 2

Sigmund Freud first discovered and described the Oedipus complex. Write an essay about the beginning of this complex, why it was named after Oedipus, and how it continues to impact modern psychology. Using support from the book and your own life, discuss why or why not you may agree or disagree with Freud and Viorst's view of this theory.

Essay Topic 3

Chapter 11 details the positive and negative aspects of our dreams and fantasies. Compare and contrast fantasy versus reality using ideas from the book. How are they similar? How are they different? Do they serve the same purpose?

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