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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Jack do to try and block out the raging in his head?
(a) He stomps his feet and screams.
(b) He pounds his fist on his head.
(c) He grinds his teeth.
(d) He waves his hands at the sky.

2. What can Jack hear from the other workers sitting at the other lunch site?
(a) Whispering.
(b) Laughter over a joke told by his cousin.
(c) Laughter and yelling.
(d) A man yelling over to him.

3. What is Jack referring to when he says "it was what life ought to be, what he'd once believed it was."?
(a) Life on the farm was good and simple before he killed his brother.
(b) Life should be lived to the fullest, now he is stuck on a farm.
(c) Life on the farm was a struggle, and now things seeem better.
(d) Life should be easy and he does not know why it is not easy now.

4. As Jack walks down the road, what is on his left?
(a) Ready to harvest wheat.
(b) Alfalfa and soybeans.
(c) Vineyards.
(d) Newly cultivated corn.

5. For what does Jack's father often abandon his wife and children?
(a) Trips to the city to gamble.
(b) Love affairs with other women.
(c) Camping in the Rockies.
(d) Drinking binges.

Short Answer Questions

1. What month is it when Jack sits under the tree with Phoebe and has lunch?

2. As Jack walks down the road, what is on his right?

3. At the time of the harvest, how long has Jack's father been gone?

4. How old is the youngest child at the time of the accident?

5. What does Jack become aware of about himself as he sits under the tree with Phoebe?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jack respond to Yegudkin's performance on the French horn? How is the performance described?

2. While crouching next to his father upon Dale Hawthorne's homecoming, Jack softly whispers something no one can hear. What does he say, and why does he softly whisper this so that it is inaudible?

3. Dale Hawthorne decides against suicide. Why does he do so? What does he do instead of killing himself?

4. Jack is "touched" by his sister's presence at lunchtime in the field. Why is this? What does he notice about her?

5. When describing Jack's routines in the early mornings, the author uses the word "sweet" more than once. What things are sweet about the mornings for Jack?

6. Describe Jack's uncles. What do they do on the farm? What do they look like? How do they behave?

7. What does Yegudkin say about the fact that he is now too deaf to play in an orchestra?

8. How does the family react to Dale Hawthorne's frequent disappearances? How does Jack react to his father's disappearances?

9. How does the narrator describe Jack's lessons with Yegudkin?

10. When Dale Hawthorne returns home after his three week absence, he does not leave again. What does he do to occupy his time? What does he do when he becomes restless?

(see the answer keys)

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