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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 kind of reputation can a lobsterman not afford?

2. Why does Stan ask about Ruth's plans in Chapter 12?

3. How does Ruth describe her first sexual experience?

4. Why does Lanford remain in Fort Niles in Chapter 12?

5. Who gives Ruth and Cal the horrible smelling item in Chapter 7?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ruth doing for a living in the Epilogue?

2. What do Ruth and Lanford discuss in Chapter 10?

3. Why is Kitty so out of sorts in Chapter 12?

4. What happened to Stan's marriage to Mary during the lobster wars and immediately following the lobster war?

5. What happens when Stan visits Ruth at Rhonda's in Chapter 12?

6. What event is taking place in Chapter 10?

7. What does Owney want to be when he is older?

8. How does Ruth's relationship with Lanford conclude in the Epilogue?

9. Describe the second, third and fourth lobster wars.

10. What does Rhonda and Mary hope for Ruth and her future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Ruth's dreams and why she desires them. What is the connection between Ruth's dreams and ambitions and the setting of the novel? What obstacles might have prevented Ruth from achieving her dreams?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the setting of the novel. In what way is the setting an important aspect of this story? How might Ruth's life have been different if she had not lived in the lobster fishing community?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the motif of death in the novel "Stern Men". Who dies in the novel and why? How do these deaths affect the other characters?

(see the answer keys)

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