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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. What color car does Jack Eccles drive?

2. Where is Harry's son, according to Janis?

3. When did Eccles last see Janice?

4. What food is left on the stove in the kitchen when Harry returns home?

5. Where had Janice initially thought Rabbit was when he did not return?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe Tothero's living arrangements.

4. How is Janice's attitude toward Rabbit conflicted at this point?

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

6. Why does Harry take off his shoes on his walk up Mt. Judge?

7. Why does Harry fear he has killed a second child while speaking to Ruth?

8. Describe Ruth's high school relationship with Harrison.

9. Describe Harry's dream at the beginning of this section.

10. What is Jack Eccles supposed to be doing instead of playing golf?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Updike spends quite a bit of time in the novel dealing with the mechanics and politics of sexual intercourse. Write an essay comparing his two extended sex scenes: Harry's first night with Ruth Leonard, and Harry's aborted attempt to have sex with Janice after she gives birth. What does Harry want in these scenes? What do the women want? How does each participant try to gain the upper hand? What is Updike saying about the nature of inter-gender communication?

Essay Topic 2

Jack Eccles is one of the more dynamic figures in the novel. He represents a new attitude toward religion and its place in a modern world. Write an essay about Jack Eccles and his struggle with both the extremely traditional view of his vocation (as represented by Reverend Kruppenbach) and the secular modernist view (as represented by his wife). How does Eccles' relationship with Harry make manifest this inner struggle to understand his own faith?

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.

(see the answer keys)

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