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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 Irwin send to his mother when he believes he will not be coming home from Vietnam?

2. What does Everett name the goat he tends to in Book Five?

3. Why have Irwin and Linda been unable to marry earlier in the novel?

4. Who opens their own post office box for a private correspondence with Everett?

5. What is Everett's reaction to Freddy's injury?

Short Essay Questions

1. What position does Ty Daniels and the rest of the Portland Tug team take towards Hugh when he throws his last wild pitch and leaves the team?

2. What horrible event in Linda's past makes her afraid to live alone after Irwin leaves for the army?

3. What effect does Everett's glasses have upon his baseball game?

4. What does Everett send to Irwin as a "homeopathic dose of sanity and antidote to Army Brain" in Book Five?

5. What event heals the relationship between Everett and his mother in Book Five?

6. Why does Everett think Myshkin is a prodigy in literature and art?

7. Why does Irwin quit the baseball team?

8. How is Everett's attitude in regards to his imprisonment?

9. What do Hugh and Kincaid do to help them sleep the night before they are going to free Irwin in Book Six?

10. What causes Winnifred, or Freddy, to become upset at Sunday School with Mrs. Babcock and to begin quoting Muhammad?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the point of view utilized by Duncan in The Brothers K. Since this was a deliberate choice, discuss why Duncan selected the view he used. What influences did the point of view have on the development of the book's themes? Make sure to use specific textual evidence to support your assertions.

Essay Topic 2

Duty is a theme throughout The Brothers K. Discuss three different characters' views of duty and how it is exhibited by their statements and actions. Based on these accounts of duty, does Duncan create an overarching definition of duty?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout The Brothers K, Peter and Everett specifically go through a growth and maturing process due to the experiences they undergo. Using at least two specific examples from the text, discuss how Duncan illustrates this growth and maturing process and how it is central to the overarching theme of the novel.

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This section contains 865 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample