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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 has Bruce been caring for his elderly aunt?

2. What does Bruce recall watching as he worked as a boy?

3. Whose phone number does the funeral director give Bruce?

4. Why did Bruce panic regarding the girl in #11?

5. What else does the funeral director give to Bruce before he leaves?

Short Essay Questions

1. What saddens Bruce as he walks the streets of Salt Lake City?

2. Who is Nola and what is her role in Bruce's life?

3. Describe the humorous scenario of Bruce trying to outwit the elevator man in Nola's hotel.

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

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

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

7. What prompts Bruce to recall a time he worked as a busboy at a restaurant on a lake.

8. How does the author show that Joe had been an important part of Bruce's life?

9. What does Bruce think about as he eats dinner in the hotel?

10. Why does Bruce hate his father for his own sake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the setting at the beginning of the novel. Does the author paint a complete picture for the reader? What, if anything, is missing?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Stegner's writing style. How is he different from other writers of his time? What are some of his characteristic writing techniques? Identify some examples of his classic style in RECAPITULATION.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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This section contains 956 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample