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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. Who gets married in July of 1976?

2. Where do Ruth and Owney make love in Chapter 11?

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

4. Why does Owney maintain traps?

5. Who is the family idiot in Rhonda's family?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the other characters doing in the Epilogue?

2. What do Stan and Ruth fight about in Chapter 12?

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

4. Why does Owney have hidden lobsters?

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

6. What does Rhonda think of Mary?

7. What does Toby believe is the future of Fort Niles?

8. How did Stan and Angus become estranged for eight months?

9. How does Ruth feel about her sexual experience with Owney in Chapter 11?

10. How have Rhonda's sons lived since Ira's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the struggles faced by Ruth throughout the novel. How does she deal with these obstacles and how does she overcome them? What causes these problems for her?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Analyze the secondary characters of the novel. Who are they and what are their roles in the novel? Describe their relationships with Ruth.

(see the answer keys)

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