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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. Why is Frank surprised when Officer Doyle asks him how he thinks the Minnesota Twins will do this year?

2. What is the punishment that Frank and Jake receive as a result of playing at the tracks?

3. How old is Bobby when he is killed?

4. Who touches Lise and sends her into a screaming fit after Emil attempted suicide?

5. Why are Frank and Jake forced to squeeze in next to Karl when he takes them for a ride in his Triumph sports car?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Frank convince his dad to give him the tire iron for the boys' walk home from the jail and what do they subsequently do with it?

2. What happens within the conversation Frank overhears between Nathan and Emil after Emil's return from the private hospital?

3. How does the scene at the old rock quarry reveal themes of adolescent sexuality through Frank's character?

4. What are the purposes of the Drum family's visit to Emil and Lise Brandt's house?

5. Where do Frank and Jake go just before Bobby Cole's funeral, and how does Jake's suit sleeve get ripped?

6. What is the situation that results in Frank, Jake, and Nathan going to the jail in the middle of the night?

7. Why is Frank so surprised when Officer Doyle asks him his opinion about this year's Minnesota Twins team and asks about his own experiences with baseball?

8. What causes Frank to abruptly run away from the Indian man and to drag Jake along with him?

9. What is ironic about Lise's reaction to Frank's grabbing of her shoulder when they succeed in moving the huge rock in her garden?

10. How does Nathan react to Father Peter's communication with him about the townspeople's problems with Ruth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Krueger chooses to leave some mysteries in the novel unsolved for the reader, including Karl Brandt's death and Bobby Cole's death. Analyze the ambiguities within these two incidents and use your analysis to state the author's purpose in leaving some of the novel's mysteries unsolved.

Essay Topic 2

Many of the characters within the novel carry around various secrets, unduly burdening them and thus, the people who love them. What is the author's message regarding secrecy, deception, and catharsis?

Essay Topic 3

What type of character is Ruth Drum? Is she round or flat? Dynamic or static? Use concrete details to prove your answers to these two questions about Ruth's character. What function does she serve within the narrative as a means to help the author get across his desired messages?

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This section contains 1,541 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample