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

2. What does Ruth bring to Harry when she returns from the bathroom at the end of this section?

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

4. What was Mrs. Smith's father's profession?

5. How many children do the Eccleses have?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Janice slap Nelson?

2. What job does Ruth now have and why did she get it?

3. What disagreement do Harry and Ruth have regarding religion?

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

5. How does Ruth respond to Harry's decision to join his wife in the hospital?

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

7. How does Jack Eccles ensure he will see Harry again?

8. Describe Harry Angstrom.

9. What obstacles does Rabbit face trying to retrieve his clothes?

10. What has Rabbit decided about Ruth by the end of this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The novel RABBIT, RUN contains much discussion of the elusive nature of faith. Harry struggles with the idea of the divine for a long time, unable to explain it to anyone, even himself. Write an essay on faith in the novel, in three parts:

Part 1) Ruth, an agnostic, is sickened by the church across the street from her apartment. How does Harry defend the idea of God in both her apartment and atop Mt. Judge? What was he raised believing?

Part 2) As Jack Eccles and Harry play golf, Harry explains the reason for his leaving home. To what extent is Harry's initial journey from his family a religious pilgrimage? What does he seek?

Part 3) Examine how the death of Rebecca Angstrom affects Harry's faith. How does he reconcile his notion of God with the senseless death of his child?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

If Harry Angstrom is a child in a man's body, Ruth Leonard becomes a woman very early in her life. She is the pragmatic center of the novel, a survivor. Write an essay about Ruth's objectives throughout the novel. Why does she decide to take Harry back to her apartment, and why does she let him stay? What in her past has prepared her for the worst this man can offer? What does she do when she realizes he has left her, and how does she react when he returns?

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This section contains 980 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample