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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 does Bruce do as the crowd grows as he waits after work one night?

2. Who tried to prevent Bruce from entering the young woman's hotel room?

3. What did Bruce think of Jack Bailey's fashion sense?

4. What does the breeze from the mountain remind Bruce of?

5. What instrument did the girl in #11 play?

Short Essay Questions

1. What two items does the funeral director give Bruce before he leaves?

2. What does Bruce find amusing about the building the funeral home is housed in?

3. What does Bruce learn about the phone number given to him by the funeral director?

4. What is the symbolism of the cabbage that Bruce steals?

5. What messy school project does Bruce recall and how did his father harass him?

6. Describe the situation in which Bruce touches a girl's breast for the first time.

7. Why does Bruce hate his father for his mother's sake?

8. What does Bruce recall about the house once he is inside?

9. What were Bruce's school years like?

10. Who are Holly and Nola and what prompts Bruce to think of them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for Bruce's life. Be sure to include emotional states as well as physical characteristics, geographic locations, work, hobbies, and socialization. Will he ever return to Salt Lake City?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Bruce. Begin with his physical characteristics and extend into his personality and behavioral traits. What is Bruce's role in his family? What is it about Bruce that men in authority want to help him achieve a brighter future?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

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