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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. Chapter Two flashes back to the 1970s when Tom is a _____________.

2. Which of the following types of imagery dominates the Prologue?

3. Why does Tom tell Dr. Lowenstein the story of his mother's quest to win the Colleton League cookbook contest?

4. What does Tom do while waiting for Bernard in Central Park?

5. Why does Tom begin writing letters to South Carolina?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of family does the Prologue portray?

2. How does the phone call contrast with the idyllic opening of Chapter 1?

3. How does the scene in the funeral parlor contrast with the rest of the Wingo childhood?

4. Why doesn't Lila want the children to tell their father about the man called "Callanwolde"?

5. Why does Tom suggest that football is a good thing for the unhappy Bernard?

6. How does the Prologue present the father of the Wingo children?

7. How does the death of Rose Ann reveal the nature of the Wingo parents?

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

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

10. How has coaching Bernard helped Tom?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

While the narrative of the Wingo family abounds with tragedy and conflict, Conroy does manage to interject select scenes to provide a sense of comic relief into the otherwise traumatic account.

Choose ONE scene from the novel that provides some measure of comic relief. Be sure your essay:

A.) Discusses the particular scene in detail for the reader.

B.) Analyzes how this scene provides a relief or contrast to the more serious and depressing elements of the Wingo history.

C.) Evaluates the role of this scene in the overall narrative. Why is it necessary in the story? How would the novel be affected without it?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the dramatic irony of Dr. Lowenstein's personal circumstances while treating Savannah. How is her own marriage and family an ironic counterpoint to the narrative Tom is sharing with her about his family?

Essay Topic 3

A theme and concern among many Southern writers is the collapse of the "Old South." William Faulkner, for example, dealt with this issue numerous times in his novels and short stories. Pat Conroy also seems to be making a statement about the South and its destruction through the traumatic events of the Wingo children.

Write a thematic essay in which you trace Conroy's treatment of the South and its collapse throughout the novel. Some questions to consider are: What seems to be the author's view of the South? How does he represent the South throughout his narrative? Does the end of the novel seem indicative of a resurrection of the Old South or are the traditions and ways of the past lost forever in the wake of progress and development?

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