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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 had Ruth hoped of her first sexual partner?

2. What happened to John while he was in the army?

3. How does Ruth describe her first sexual experience?

4. What isle's demise does Toby speak of in Chapter 10?

5. Why does Kitty live with Rhonda in Chapter 12?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens at the end of Chapter 11?

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

3. What event is taking place in Chapter 10?

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

5. Why are Ruth and Owney left alone in Chapter 7? What does Owney show Ruth?

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

7. What does Rhonda think of Mary?

8. What strange news circulates about Lanford in Chapter 12?

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

10. Describe the drive to Rockland in Chapter 7.

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 separation in the novel "Stern Men". Who is separated from one another in the novel? How do these separations impact the relationships of the characters involved? Who is Ruth separated from in the novel? How does she feel about this separation and how does it impact her?

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