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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 Finny want to do after tea?

2. What is the game Finny invents?

3. Who is the witness to Finny's breaking of the school record?

4. What is Finny's real name?

5. What does Finny remember Gene wearing during the fall?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What seemed so much larger to Gene, as told by him, when he was younger as opposed to now?

3. Who is the narrator of "A Separate Peace"?

4. What is Gene the only witness to?

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

6. What position has Gene volunteered for?

7. What does Finny convince Gene they should do before they head back to Devon?

8. When Gene is working hard to catch up on his trigonometry, what does Finny accuse him of?

9. What does Gene fear Finny is trying to do when Finny tries to waste Gene's time?

10. Who does Gene describe the tree when he was younger and standing in front of it with other boys?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Competition seems to be another large theme in this book, with the boys competing with each other for anything and everything they can.

Part 1: List three specific competitions the boys engage in.

Part 2: What does the competitive nature of Gene and Finny say about their friendship?

Part 3: Why do you think the author made Gene the one that excels in academics while Finny excels in sports?

Essay Topic 2

When one first reads "A Separate Peace," it seems Finny and Gene could not be more different in terms of their lives, goals, and outlooks. Is this really the case?

Part 1: Compare and contract Finny and Gene.

Part 2: How does the friendship between Finny and Gene change during the book?

Part 3: Would you say that Finny and Gene are more alike or more different? Support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

From the very beginning, we learn that Gene will be the narrator from the story, but as with any narrator, a reader must question whether they can be trusted or not.

Part 1: Do you think Gene is a reliable narrator? Why or why not?

Part 2: In realizing that Gene might not be the most reliable narrator, how does this change your perception of the story and of Gene and Finny?

Part 3: What other character might prove to be a more reliable narrator? Support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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