View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How is Dan Needham described?

2. What does Dan think is the ultimate message that Owen was trying to send with the stuffed animal?

3. What part of Johnny's stuffed animal did Owen remove?

4. How is Owen referred to in the text?

5. Whose religious doubts does Johnny appreciate?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Owen meets Johnny's cousins?

2. What does Owen mean when he tells Dan Needham that his play is lacking a "certain presence"?

3. Why does Owen react so strongly to Johnny's opinion of his mother's death?

4. What does the audience see Johnny Wheelwright reading, as an adult, in Canada, and how does Johnny react?

5. Why do Owen and Mr. Morrison have a conversation?

6. Describe Johnny's cousins.

7. Briefly explain this quote: "God has taken your mother. My hands were the instrument. God has taken my hands. I am God's instrument."

8. What happens to Harry Hoyt's mother?

9. Who are the Brinker-Smiths?

10. Who is Dan Needham, and what does he look like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Amputation becomes a large theme throughout the novel. Compare/contrast the amputation of the armadillo and the amputation of Johnny's hands. What is similar about them? What is the difference? What is the significance of the two amputations?

Essay Topic 2

While exploring the dorm rooms at Gravesend, the boys are initiated into the worlds of puberty and sexuality. Compare and contrast the boys' expectations of puberty with what they actually experience. Why might John Irving have included sexuality as a major theme within his novel?

Essay Topic 3

Both Owen and Reverend Merrill played a large part in cementing the religious faith of Johnny who vacillated on religion through most of the novel. In an essay, compare/contrast the religious faiths of Owen and Reverend Merrill. Consider how much trickery comes into play in regards to the faith of characters in the novel. What message do you think John Irving was attempting to state in the novel? How do both Owen and Reverend Merrill's views on faith affected Johnny's views? Which had a larger impact on his faith? What changes did each character prompt in his beliefs?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 735 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample