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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 White come to believe about his sexual orientation?

2. What does Mel see as destroying his family?

3. How do Mel and Lyla's children respond to the divorce?

4. What style of government does the religious right seem to want?

5. What does White do for Oliver North?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mel say that the religious right increasingly claimed and what was one of those claims?

2. Who does White help in the 1970s among the rising Christian political movement?

3. Describe White's experience with Tom Montgomery.

4. Who is R. J. Rushdoony? What is his view about homosexuality and White's thoughts about that?

5. How do Mel and Lyla stay connected, and what do Christian leaders say about White's new living situation? What does Lyla say in response to the Christian leaders?

6. What did White plan to do while scuba diving in Hawaii? What changed his mind?

7. How does White's parents react to his telling them of his homosexuality?

8. What happens one night when White becomes too stressed about his life? What does he do after that?

9. What do Lyla and Mel finally do? How do the children respond?

10. What does the religious right try to push through in Oregon, and what does White do about it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Gossip and rumors are found throughout Something Wonderful. Discuss the following:

1. What is one piece of gossip that you think is started maliciously? Who starts it? Why? Does it end up harming the person it is intended to harm? Why or why not? What effect does the gossip have on the person the gossip is about? What effect does the gossip have on one other character?

2. What is one piece of gossip that you think is started intentionally to help someone? Who starts it? Why? Does it end up helping or harming the person it is intended to help? Explain. What effect does the gossip have on the person the gossip is about? What effect does the gossip have on one other character?

3. Trace and analyze the theme of gossip as it is woven throughout Something Wonderful. Is the gossip always harmful? What are the motivations of those who start and perpetuate the gossip? What are the effects of the gossip?

4. Why do you think people gossip?

Essay Topic 2

Monogamy and marriage fidelity are topics that occur throughout Stranger at the Gate. Discuss the following:

1. What are the meanings of monogamy and fidelity?

2. Do you think monogamy is realistic in a long-term relationship? Why or why not?

3. Do you believe Mel is committing adultery when he is sexually involved with men though still married? Why or why not?

4. Do you think if gay marriage were legal, homosexual couples would be just as monogamous as heterosexual couples? Why or why not.

Essay Topic 3

Homosexuality is one of the predominant themes of Stranger at the Gate. Discuss the following:

1. Research the history of homosexuality in the United States and write an informative essay about what you find. Relate the information to what you read in Stranger at the Gate.

2. Engaging in homosexual acts used to be a crime in the United States. It was only in 2003 that laws against homosexual acts were declared invalid. Do you think homosexual acts should be legislated? Upon what basis?

3. Many other countries still have laws against homosexuality--some of them outlaw only male-male sex; others any homosexual sex. Research one country that still outlaws homosexual sex and compare/contrast their culture in regards to religion and sex to that of the United States.

(see the answer keys)

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