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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. As an adult, who is Johnny's best friend?

2. What type of establishment is Old Freddy's?

3. With everything that goes wrong in the pageant, how does the audience respond to the show?

4. What color is Owen's father's truck?

5. Which famous musician does Owen have an obsession with?

Short Essay Questions

1. What goes wrong during the Christmas pageant?

2. What is the reaction to Mrs. Wheelwright's new television?

3. What does Owen hope to do upon graduation from the University, and why?

4. What chilling event happens after Owen believes he has seen his own death?

5. As an adult, what does Johnny overhear his friend Katherine Keener's husband saying about him?

6. How does Barb Wiggin treat Owen, and what is his reaction?

7. What did Tabitha tell the boys about her red dress?

8. What happens to the boys' grades once they get to the University?

9. What happens when Owen, as The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, takes Scrooge to his grave?

10. Who is Katherine Keeling?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Owen is surely the most confident character in the book, a characteristic that might not have been expected by the reader. In an essay, explain the symbolism of the armadillo throughout the story. Where and when does it appear? Does it's symbolism every change? Consider what the armadillo means to both Johnny and Owen as individuals. What do they use it for?

Essay Topic 2

The novel takes places in a very important moment of American history. The Vietnam War becomes both a machine to progress the story as well as a catalyst for the behaviors of many characters. Why might John Irving have decided to set the novel in this time period? Was the war used as a machine to progress the story, or was there a deeper symbolic meaning to the time setting? Support your theory with examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, John Irving chooses to present the reader with both the childhood version and the adult version of Johnny. Compare/contrast the presented characteristics of both the child and adult versions of Johnny. What events in the novel may have contributed to the man that Johnny Wheelwright grows to become. What evidence do you see to back up this theory? What reasons do you think John Irving has for interrupting the childhood stories of Johnny with the moments of Johnny as an adult. What messages is he trying to send? What is added to the story by seeing Johnny as an adult?

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