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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 day of the week is it in chapter 8?

2. What kind of person does Conrad perceive himself to be?

3. Who does Conrad ride to school with in chapter 3?

4. What word best describes the meeting between Conrad and Karen?

5. Who does Conrad tell that he has quit the swim team?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Cal want to get Conrad a car for Christmas?

2. What does Conrad use as an excuse to quit the swim team?

3. Describe Conrad's meeting with Karen.

4. Looking at Beth's perfectionist personality, why does Conrad upset her so much?

5. In chapter 14, what does Dr. Berger suggest the real problem is?

6. Why doesn't Conrad first reveal that he had a brother to Dr. Berger?

7. What makes Cal wonder why Conrad would ever want to kill himself?

8. What causes Conrad to worry about his ability to survive in chapter 7?

9. How does Conrad feel he has let Beth down?

10. How does chapter 13 represent a breakthrough for Conrad and his family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the development of the three main characters: Conrad, Beth, and Cal. Compare and contrast each character from the novel's introduction to the epilogue. What changes? What do they learn?

Essay Topic 2

Conrad is obsessed with not failing. The other characters also have fears. Analyze the fears of three different characters. Why are these fears significant to the progression of the novel? Do their fears become obsessions? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Compare the relationship Cal and Beth have in the beginning of the novel with the relationship they have at the end. How does it change? How does it stay the same?

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