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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 do Finny and Gene get for themselves by using forged draft cards?

2. What is the game Finny invents?

3. How does Gene bounce the branch?

4. What happens when Gene turns to Finny to delay the jump?

5. What does Finny convince Gene to join him on?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gene remember as he pauses near the river on his way to an appointment at the Crew House?

2. What does the doctor say about the outcome of Finny's injury?

3. What sport does Finny think is a horrible addition to the summer athletics program?

4. After Gene leaps from the branch into the water, how does Finny respond?

5. What is one of the main rules for the secret club that Finny and Gene have created?

6. What does Gene realize about the rivalry between Finny and himself?

7. As Gene and Finny are getting ready to sleep on the beach, what does Finny reveal to Gene?

8. What happens as Gene loses his balance on the branch with Finny?

9. What does Gene think is the true reason behind hearing that Leper might be jumping from the branch?

10. What sport does Finny create in order to make up for the appalling sport in #14?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

It's interesting to note that parents aren't mentioned often in this story - only Brinker's dad and Leper's mother are introduced fully.

Part 1: Describe Brinker's father.

Part 2: Describe Leper's mother.

Part 3: What do these characters seem to say about the differences between the older and the younger generations?

Essay Topic 2

With World War II looming in the background of this novel, the darker nature of the world outside of Devon is hard to escape.

Part 1: What does World War II symbolize in this novel?

Part 2: What is the significance of World War II to each of the characters in the novel?

Part 3: How does the war relate to the title of this book?

Essay Topic 3

The death of Finny is a scene that shocks the reader, and yet at the same time, it almost seems a blessing for this character.

Part 1: Why was Finny's original accident the worst thing that could have happened to him?

Part 2: How does Finny handle his initial accident as compared to his second accident?

Part 3: Do you think the death of Finny was necessary to tell this story? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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