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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. Why does Henry light a candle at the statue of the Infant of Prague?

2. Why might Conroy have included the scene with Tolitha's coffin in Chapter Eight?

3. What role does Bernard actually play on his school's football team?

4. Why does Amos bring everyone to the hayloft barn?

5. Why does Tolitha ask Luke to take pictures of her in the coffin?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Tom turn the tables on Bernard?

3. What is curious about Tolitha and Amos having Henry for a son?

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

5. What does the story of Lila's quest to win the Colleton League cookbook contest reveal about her character?

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

7. How does Lila feel about Henry's profession as a shrimper?

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

9. How has coaching Bernard helped Tom?

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

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

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

Located off the coast of South Carolina, Melrose Island is the backdrop for much of Tom's story. Discuss the significance of this primary setting in the novel. What importance does it hold for the various characters in the novel? What larger ideas does Melrose Island represent? Be sure to develop your response with explicit and implicit evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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