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

2. Which character is NOT embarrassed by Grandpa Amos' show?

3. What event in Tom's life occurs in 1971?

4. Why does Lila insist that Tom remain silent about the past?

5. Why is Tom furious with Dr. Lowenstein?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolism of Luke's solitary war with the government?

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

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

4. What feelings do the townspeople have toward Amos?

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

6. Why is Tom shy in the locker room at South Carolina University?

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

8. Why does Tom decide to tell Dr. Lowenstein about the fateful day on the island?

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

10. What plans do the Wingo children have after graduation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In 1906, George Santayana penned the famous line, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (from "The Life of Reason"). Does Conroy's novel support or refute this assertion?

Write a critical lens essay in which you interpret Santayana's quote, agree or disagree with the quotation as you have interpreted it, and provide evidence in the form of specific literary techniques from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

Tom spends much of his narrative delving into the lives and experiences of his parents and even grandparents. In fact, Dr. Lowenstein is occasionally frustrated by Tom's refusal to speak exclusively about her patient, Savannah, but Tom persists that in speaking about these seemingly tangential anecdotes, he is in fact providing insight into Savannah's character. Consequently, each of the Wingo children are an amalgamation of various influences and traits of their parents and grandparents.

Choose ONE of the following Wingo children and examine their character in terms of the influences he or she exemplifies from the Wingo parents and/or grandparents (Henry, Lila, Tolitha, Amos). You may write about one of these character's exclusive influence on one of the Wingo children or you may discuss how several or even all of these characters influenced the lives and actions of one of the Wingo children.

A.) Tom.

B.) Savannah.

C.) Luke.

(see the answer keys)

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