View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. On what street was the apartment in which the author's mother died?

2. When the dwarves are offered wine, what do they think it is?

3. What does the author describe as the "living heart and command center" of his mother's room?

4. The author's mother lived to within how many days of her ninety-second birthday?

5. What was the name of the woman who came nights but according to the author's mother was late because of the subway?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the author, how does memory help us finish with the past?

2. Describe the author's mother's bedroom in her 79th street apartment.

3. Why/how does the author identify with one of the stained glass images?

4. How did the author's mother's aging affect her sons' lives?

5. Why is the author telling his secrets?

6. How did the daughter being sick affect the author?

7. How does the author describe his father's suicide?

8. Why did the author's mother have so few friends as she got older?

9. How do ministers lose touch with God?

10. What did the author deal with in first two autobiographies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author writes his own book introduction. What does the introduction reveal about the author? What purpose for the book is explained, and why is he writing another autobiography when he has already penned two such publications? What picture does the author create for the reader about expectations for this book, as well as his state of mind about the book's content?

Essay Topic 2

What happened in the author's dream about a hotel (provide details)? What did the room come to mean to the author? In reality what represented Eden to the author and why?

Essay Topic 3

At the end of Part One of the book, the author talks about ministers losing themselves and setting aside their own experiences when they preach. Explain this position. Then discuss how the author views such behavior is detrimental not only to the ministers, but their congregations as well. Why does the author include these observations at this point in the book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 795 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample