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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 Cal's mentor in school?

2. What place does Cal get in his golf tournament?

3. In chapter 31, what does Cal want Beth to do?

4. Where do Beth and Cal take Conrad when they get home from their trip?

5. What activity do Conrad and Jeanine participate in on their date?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn't Beth say goodbye to Conrad when she leaves?

2. Why does Conrad visit Joe Lazenby in the Epilogue?

3. What does Karen's death force Conrad to do?

4. Why is Conrad so upset that he got in a fight?

5. When Cal and Beth are in Texas, why doesn't Beth discuss Conrad with her family?

6. How does Conrad feel after his date with Jeanine?

7. In chapter 19, Cal realizes why he is so worried about Conrad. What does he realize?

8. What are Cal's hopes for his vacation with Beth in Texas?

9. How does Conrad prove that he is strong in chapter 24?

10. Describe Conrad's reaction to Karen's death.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Conrad feels that he has lost his identity after Jordan dies because he feels as if he needs to make up for the loss of Jordan. How does loss of identity tie into the novel as a theme? Analyze the other characters who have lost their identity.

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