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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. Who does Grandpa Amos talk to while driving?

2. Who takes a stand for Benji before the football game against North Charleston?

3. What does Tolitha do every Good Friday?

4. How does Amos get his license back?

5. How does Tom feel about the day they retrieved the stolen cargo from "The Amberjack"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tom recognize as he has dinner with his mother?

2. How does the town react to "The Amberjack's" presence?

3. What is significant about the new black student's ability to beat Tom in a race?

4. What does Tom suspect about Amos' Good Friday walk?

5. What admission does Susan make that startles Tom over dinner?

6. Why does Tom find the map on Reese Newbury's wall disconcerting?

7. Why does Henry help "The Amberjack"?

8. What is different, according to Susan, about the way Bernard interacts with Tom and his father?

9. What does Henry's visit to Tom in this chapter reveal about Henry's character?

10. Why does Tom continue searching through Savannah's apartment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

While the novel contains Tom's narrative of his family history, the title of the novel is based on a poem written by Savannah. Discuss the significance of the novel's title. Who is the Prince of Tides? Support your answer with specific examples and reasoning from the text.

Essay Topic 3

In the final image of the novel, we see the Wingo family (minus Luke) reunited on a shrimping boat, much as they were in the novel's opening. Do you think the Wingo family has overcome its traumatic past and finally begun to heal?

Write a persuasive essay that develops your point of view on this topic. Be sure to use specific and sound reasoning from the text to support your position.

(see the answer keys)

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