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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. Which family friend joins Irwin and Peter first in the woodstoves venture?

2. What fellow draft dodger advises Everett about a potential return to the United States?

3. How does Hugh request to be buried?

4. What is the name of the British man who facilitates the robbing of Peter in India?

5. Who comes up with the plan to stand vigil outside the hospital until Irwin is released?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reason does Peter give Laura for taking a job at the mill in Chapter 5?

2. What does Everett witness that causes his epiphany and prompts him to pack up everything and return to his family in Camas?

3. What piece of pitching advice does Freddy recite at Hugh's wake?

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

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

6. How is Peter afraid of hurting his father in regard to baseball in Book Four?

7. What does Laura plan to do at church in Chapter 8, and what ends up happening instead?

8. How does Everett's 211 page letter eventually reach Natasha?

9. What reason does Natasha give to Everett for not wanting to sleep after their coffee date in Book Four?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Early on in the novel, Duncan describes a tenuous relationship between Hugh and Laura; however, later, he utilizes a flashback to describe the courtship and early period of their marriage as being quite different. What does this deliberate timeline established by Duncan suggest to the reader about the marriage between Laura and Hugh, what it is based upon, and how it functions? Use specific events from the text to back up your assertions.

Essay Topic 2

In the novel Kincaid makes this statement about Hugh, "Papa didn't cures: his whole art is control." Explain what Kincaid meant by this statement and how it coincides with the character of Hugh in the novel. Do you believe it is an accurate statement? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel Laura and Everett's relationship changes dramatically several times. Using textual examples describe how the shifts in their relationship resonate with the themes of love, judgment, and redemption.

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