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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 Chapter 2, the boy remembers being trapped where?

2. What are the IRA gunmen protesting at the shootout at the distillery?

3. Where does the boy tell his father in Chapter 2 that he would like to go?

4. How does Rory Hannaway die?

5. Who is Billy Mahon?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the boy's father's life seen as very difficult and sad?

2. When the boy's father takes him and his brother Liam out on the boat, what does his father reveal to them and why does it make the boy feel uncomfortable?

3. How is the novel The Shan Van Vocht an example of female symbolism?

4. What strong religious beliefs of his community does the boy share in the beginning of Chapter 1?

5. Why does the boy try to run away in Chapter 3?

6. How is the motif of fire used in Chapter 3?

7. What does the boy's grandfather tell him right before he dies?

8. How do we see the boy react and respond to his circumstances in Chapter 1 instead of accepting them at face value?

9. What happens to Frances and Francis?

10. How is the theme of disappearance used in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, the boy encounters and overcomes many difficult situations in order to piece together his family's history and to find out what happened to his uncle. The story is riddled with sadness, death, poor choices, and loss; how can this story be redeemed? Is there any hope in this story? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the boy's mother and father.

1.) How are they different in their treatments of the boy? How are they same?

2.) What parts of the family secret does each of them know?

3.) How do their behaviors change over the course of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What is the significance of disappearance and death as themes in the novel?

1. Are these themes important to keeping the secret a mystery to the boy?

2. How does the story of Eddie's death change for the boy as more people disappear or die?

3. How are the stories told by the characters (Sean, Francis, Frances, Brigid, Claire Falkener, Grenaghan, etc.) all related to this theme of death and disappearance?

(see the answer keys)

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