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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 two words does Emil keep repeating once he returns home from the private hospital?

2. What advice does Gus give to Jake when Jake feels guilty for swearing in front of the church?

3. How does Jake's suit shoulder get torn?

4. What does Ruth believe is the true cause of Ariel's change of heart regarding Juilliard?

5. Why does Jake decide not to go to the fireworks stand with Frank, Gus, and Officer Doyle?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the reasons Officer Doyle gives for finding Bobby Cole's death suspicious?

2. How does Frank feel about his older sister Ariel?

3. 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?

4. How is the character of Julia Brandt a foil to the character of Ruth Drum?

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

6. 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?

7. What lengths has Gus gone to in order to make sure Nathan does not know of the card games he runs in the basement of the church?

8. What is significant about Nathan's query to the boys about whether Gus had been winning at poker?

9. How does Axel's request of Jake at the hospital reveal differences between Frank and Jake?

10. What is revealed about the difference between Frank's and Jake's characters in the moment when they are invited by Gus and Officer Doyle to set off fireworks?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Within the epilogue, Frank states there "there is no such thing as a true event" (306). What does he mean and how do these words fit into the context of the novel's overarching themes?

Essay Topic 2

Many of the novel's characters undergo experiences that radically transform their lives, taking them far away from the expectations they have previously held. Analyze at least three characters' transformative experiences, the effects these events have on their lives, their methods for dealing with these changes, and ultimately, the author's purpose for including these types of disparities between expectation and reality.

Essay Topic 3

How does Krueger depict the intolerance within American society in the early 1960s? Which characters are used to express that intolerance and what are the related messages about intolerance that are sent by the author across these instances?

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This section contains 1,570 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample