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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. In his flustered outburst at the end of this section, what does Eccles call Harry?

2. What would Mrs. Smith tell her husband to plant rather than flowers?

3. What drink is Janis drinking when Harry returns home?

4. What type of flower garden does Eccles secure Harry a job tending?

5. How many points does Harry say he scored in his first game under Tothero?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Nelson Angstrom.

2. What excuse does Janice make to her father regarding Harry?

3. Why is Harry annoyed by his conversation with the farmer at the service station?

4. In what state is Janice when Harry comes to her room?

5. Explain the significance of the title of the novel, particularly regarding the final passages.

6. Why do Tothero and Margaret leave dinner early?

7. Describe Lucy Eccles.

8. How does Harry find out that his child has died?

9. How is Harry and Lucy's first meeting dangerous?

10. Why does Ruth insist that Rabbit has it made in life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Midway through the novel, Harry Angstrom is completely at ease with his abandonment of his family. He believes that the universe wants him to seek out his own way, and to hell with the rest. Write an essay charting Harry's attitude toward personal responsibility, Who does he think pays the price for his decisions? What occurs that makes him change his mind? What is his attitude at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The novel is largely told from Harry Angstrom's point of view, and much of his time is spent contending with the women in his life. Write an essay on Harry's ambivalent attitude toward women in three parts:

Part 1) What does Janice Angstrom represent to her husband throughout the novel? Why are they continually at odds with each other? What does Harry actually like about his wife?

Part 2) On of the strangest and most dangerous relationships that Harry has is with Lucy Eccles What is so precarious about their interactions? What do they seem to want from each other, and what stands in the way of this?

Part 3) To what extend is Ruth Leonard a happy medium for Harry between his wife and someone like Lucy Eccles? Why is he so happy for the time he is with her? What destroys this happiness?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about Janice Angstrom's inner struggle with her own self-image. How does her relationship with Harry affect the way in which she views herself? In what way do her children serve as surrogates for her husband? Why does she turn to alcohol so often to cope with life? Explore these questions as you chart her character's arc.

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