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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 Nola say when Bruce asks her to marry him?

2. Why did Nola not lose at the card game?

3. Who had written the letter Bruce picks out of the box?

4. What kind of girl does Bruce think Nola was?

5. Nola's family's business was ________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Nola avoid having sex with Bruce in the cabin that weekend?

2. How does the author show Bruce's affections for his mother regarding his going to the prom?

3. Why did Bruce and Nola have few intimate moments together?

4. What were the circumstances that prompted Bruce to go to law school?

5. What does Bruce recall about spending time at the Mulders' home?

6. What does the author reveal about the way Chet had died?

7. What has Bruce's father done that solidifies Bruce's hatred for him?

8. What does Bruce recall about his brother, Chet's, life?

9. What factors must Bruce weigh in making decisions for his future?

10. What was the only life Bruce had ever envisioned for his future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of regret. Identify at least two examples about regret in the book. Then explain how each example supports the theme of regret.

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

Bruce spends some alone time throughout the novel to contemplate his life. What does he think about? What conclusions does he arrive at? Explain why he is in a contemplative mood at this point in time.

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