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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 is the last contact Goolrick has with Dodo?

2. What did this person say was the basis for the suicide attempt?

3. How old was Goolrick's brother when he had an aneurysm?

4. What disease does Goolrick's mother have?

5. How long did Goolrick spend high, having random anonymous sexual encounters before he was suicidal?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the situation when Goolrick tried to help his mother with a wound on her elbow.

2. Describe Goolrick's parents as he describes them by the end of the chapter.

3. Explain why Goolrick's sister-in-law claims to hate him.

4. Explain who Sam Weller is, and what happens to him.

5. Explain the young man who joins the ward while Goolrick is there.

6. Explain how Mother died and Goolrick's actions at the time of her death.

7. Explain what Goolrick means when he talks about the mystery of how most people carry on.

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

9. Describe the environment Goolrick experienced as a child.

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

Choose one of the following chapters / sections of the novel, and analyze it, in depth. What was it included in the book? What was the point of the section? What does the section discuss? How is this important to the overall themes presented in the novel?

- Aunt Dodo

- The volleyball match at the hospital

- The Cowboy Sandwich

Essay Topic 3

Choose one of the major themes in the novel, and discuss it. Some examples of themes are child abuse, alcoholism, depression, and the lifestyle of the 1950s and 1960s. Include how Goolrick approached the theme, its purpose in the novel, how it was conveyed to the reader, and how the people in the book reacted to the scenarios this theme presented.

(see the answer keys)

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