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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 primary emotion does Goolrick find himself feeling following his father's death?

2. For how long did Goolrick's peaceful relationship with his sister-in-law last?

3. How did Goolrick and his brother and sister know about the cocktail parties?

4. What does Goolrick do that he can never forgive himself for when his mother dies?

5. What caused Goolrick to end his relationship with his female lover?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the area where Mother and Father are buried.

2. Explain why Goolrick is somewhat of a star in the hospital.

3. Describe Dodo.

4. Explain how the patients beat the addicts in volleyball.

5. Describe mother's appearance.

6. Explain what Goolrick meant when he said "things took on a magical quality" (pg 104).

7. Describe how mother came to own a mink coat.

8. Describe the circumstances that led to brother's CAT scan which revealed the aneurysm.

9. Describe how brother comes out of the coma.

10. Explain Goolrick's initial reaction to his friend's attempt, and his later reactions.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe, in detail, the life Goolrick had growing up. What was the environment like? What was society like? What were his parents, and how did they behave? What priorities did his family have? Do you think any of these things contributed to Goolrick's problems later in his life? How? Do you think his parents were solely responsible for his issues? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Goolrick's family's socioeconomic status. What did his father do for a living? His mother? Were they rich, poor, or middle class? How do you know? How did they act, in terms of how they portrayed their class standing to others? Did Goolrick act this way, as well? What does he realize now, as an adult, about his family's actions at the time? How did his family convince others they had more money than they truly did? Is this ethical? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Goolrick's mother, according to Goolrick in "The End of the World as We Know It," seemed to blame him for the molestation, as though he had done something to deserve it, or had somehow asked for it. Do you think this is merely how Goolrick felt, or do you think she actually felt this way? Why? How did she show her feelings for Goolrick, according to his statements in the rest of the novel? Was she kind, horrific, or both, and why? Be sure to use examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,100 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample