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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 name did Dale and his friends give themselves when they were younger?

2. Who is Van Syke?

3. What does Duane's father have a degree in?

4. Where does Mike find a tunnel in Chapter 8?

5. What part of town do the Cookes live in?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sandra Whittaker tell the boys in Chapter 5?

2. What does Duane learn about Pintruicchio's murals while at Bradley University?

3. What is Mrs. Cooke arguing with the sheriff and Dr. Roon about when the boys arrive at the school in Chapter 5?

4. After returning to his house with the constable and Dr. Staffney, what does Jim discover in his room?

5. Why does Congden insist Van Syke was not the driver of the truck that attacked Duane?

6. Where do Dale and Lawrence discover new furrows in Chapter 15? What happens while they are taking a closer look at one of them?

7. When does Duane calculate a sacrifice to the bell must have been made?

8. What does Duane hear through his headphones in Chapter 4?

9. What do the boys notice on the school grounds in Chapter 5?

10. In Chapter 22, what causes Jim to remember what he saw through the school window at the beginning of the summer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and interpret Simmons's use of symbolism in the novel "Summer of Night." What are some examples of symbolism in the novel? What do these examples symbolize?

Essay Topic 2

Simmons based some of the elements of the novel "Summer of Night" on his childhood friends and his hometown. What comparisons can be made between the characters and their real life counterparts? What similarities are there between the fictional town in the novel and Simmons's hometown? What real-life works and historical figures did Simmons reference in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Simmons's use of imagery in the novel. What are some examples of imagery? How do these examples relate to the themes and motifs of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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