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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 Tom's sister?

2. What does Tom recall that his father did not allow?

3. How would you describe the tone of Dr. Lowenstein when she refers to Tom as "Tom Wingo of South Carolina"?

4. Which of the following characters dies during the storm?

5. Which of the following images from the Prologue could serve as an analogy for Tom and Savannah's wondrous and nightmarish childhood?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of family does the Prologue portray?

2. How does Tom turn the tables on Bernard?

3. How do the Wingo children get revenge on the Newburys?

4. What is the topic of Savannah's poetry?

5. What is one of the benefits of Tom's extraordinary childhood?

6. How does Dr. Lowenstein perceive Lila in Chapter Six?

7. Who is the Prince of Tides?

8. Why does Tom admit to hating both men and women equally?

9. Why does Tom feel the fallow deer are out of place in the Central Park Zoo?

10. How does the fury of the storm echo the plight of Lila Wingo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The essence of any drama, especially the Wingo family drama, is conflict. Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss the major conflicts and obstacles he or she seeks to overcome throughout the novel. Does he or she succeed? What is the prevailing conflict in his or her path to healing? How does the struggle and tension produced by this conflict change this character?

A.) Tom.

B.) Luke.

C.) Savannah.

D.) Lila.

E.) Susan.

F.) Henry.

Essay Topic 2

There is one character in the novel who plays a very small but powerful role in the lives of the Wingos: the name known by the children as "Callanwolde." What do we know about this persona? What might he represent? What role does his presence play in the larger narrative?

Write an essay that explores this character and analyzes how he exemplifies the pain and trauma in the lives of the Wingo family. Be sure to make clear and specific references to the text as well as literary techniques (symbolism, imagery, figurative language, etc.) as you develop your response.

Essay Topic 3

The game of football plays a major role in the lives and events of several characters throughout the novel. Discuss the role of football in the novel. What part does it play in the text? Be sure to examine at least three different accounts of football from the narrative as you develop your thesis about the significance of this sport in the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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