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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. How do Hester and Johnny respond to Owen's transfer?

2. Who, from Tabitha's past life, does Owen set up an appointment for the boys to meet?

3. What does Owen say before he makes the cut on Johnny?

4. What does Owen keep detailed notes on in his journal?

5. Who asks Johnny to reevaluate his future, saying that he doesn't have much time?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What habit has Hester taken up, and how does it affect her life?

3. How do the boys start their trip to Boston?

4. What does Owen look like when he is 16?

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

6. What is Owen's favorite skill in basketball, and how does he accomplish it?

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

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

9. What has Owen done to prepare the amputation blade?

10. What does the letter that Johnny receives from the draft board say?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Both pride and confidence come into play in the novel, and both have serious consequences to events within the novel. In an essay, explain the difference between pride and confidence. What effects do each characteristic typically have in situations?How does pride irrevocably changed the outcome of both Christmas productions. Finally, choose one character in the novel and explain why you would consider him or her prideful over confident. How has that pride affected this character's life? What has come of this character's pride?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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