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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 finally ruins Jack's fantasy stories when he is driving the tractor in the field?
(a) Hunger.
(b) Despair.
(c) Terror.
(d) Sleep.

2. What does Phoebe give Jack besides his lunch?
(a) A wet towel.
(b) A cold Budweiser.
(c) A thermos for himself.
(d) A cold Coca-Cola from the house.

3. What is one habit Jack's father takes up after the accident?
(a) Drinking beer all day.
(b) Chain smoking Lucky Strikes.
(c) Eating constantly.
(d) Talking in his sleep.

4. What does Jack become aware of about himself as he sits under the tree with Phoebe?
(a) His anger toward his sister.
(b) HIs physical condition after a morning's work in the field.
(c) His loneliness and alienation.
(d) His continued torment over his brother's death.

5. How does the narrator describe Jack's mother before the accident?
(a) A sad woman who had suffered greatly in her life.
(b) A glum woman who always expected the worst.
(c) A happy woman who was shy and retiring.
(d) A cheerful woman who laughed and loved telling stories.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the victim riding when he falls off and is run over?

2. What does Jack's father struggle with about his religious beliefs?

3. What part does Jack play in his made-up stories?

4. How far is the Hawthorne farm from the nearest house?

5. What is the only reason Jack's father does not make good on his motorcycle fantasies?

Short Essay Questions

1. How old is Phoebe when she brings lunch out to the field? As she comes out to the field, how is she described by the narrator? What are her responsibilities?

2. How does Jack respond to working with his uncles? How does he spend his time?

3. 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?

4. The narrator describes a soliloquy spoken by Jack's father at the Grange one night. How does Jack remember his father on that evening? Why does he recall this memory when he is angry?

5. When Dale looks up to the door and sees Jack, what does Dale say to his son? How does Jack respond to his father?

6. The narrator explains that Dale Hawthorne "trades off his sorrow for the sorrows of others." What does he mean by this?

7. Jack and Phoebe have an interchange about saying grace over lunch. What is that interchange, and why is important to the story?

8. When he is driving the tractor, how does Jack's behavior mimic that of his father?

9. As Jack rides the tractor after the accident and tells his stories of woe, how does he react to who he has become?

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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