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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. When Homer is how old does Dr. Larch assign him to read to the girls at the orphanage?

2. In Chapter 2, Dr. Larch returns to the hospital with a girl how old who is pregnant by her father?

3. What is the name of Wally's girlfriend's father?

4. Wilbur Larch's father is described as having been what?

5. What woman from a high-society family in Boston invites Dr. Larch to a croquet party in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What imagery does the author use in describing Homer's walks from the girls' division at the orphanage in Chapter 3? What is symbolic about this imagery?

2. How is Melony described by the author in Chapter 3? What age is Melony?

3. How is the atmosphere described in the beginning of Chapter 5? What is symbolic in this description?

4. How do the characters of Homer and Wally relate in Chapter 4?

5. What is Dr. Larch's reaction to Homer's leaving the orphanage in Chapter 5? What is foreshadowed?

6. What is foreshadowed about the life and career of Dr. Larch in Chapter 2?

7. What is symbolic about Homer's naming of the baby in Chapter 4?

8. What causes Homer's first two adoptive families to return him to the orphanage in Chapter 1?

9. In what ways is St. Cloud's symbolic? How does the author establish this in Chapter 1?

10. In what ways does the character of Dr. Larch symbolize God? How is this illustrated in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define and discuss tone, metaphor and simile, and analyze the imagery and symbolism in Chapter 5. What is foreshadowed by the wind? How does the imagery of the beginning of the chapter lend to its tone? How is the stationmaster described? What kills him in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Homer Wells in the narrative. How old is Homer when he is introduced in Chapter 1? When was Homer brought to the orphanage? How many times is Homer adopted and why do his adoptive parents bring him back to the orphanage?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the characters of Wally and Candy in the narrative. How old are these characters? What are their backgrounds like? How old are they when they are introduced in the novel? How do the lives of Wally and Candy relate to the life of Homer in Chapter 4?

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