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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 happened to Henry the summer when he was 15?

2. Where is Henry Lightcap when the novel begins?

3. Who gave Henry his first ride?

4. Who is Red Ginter?

5. What is set on fire during the housewarming party?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Henry's dog's name, and what is its symbolism?

2. How does Henry fall in love with the West?

3. Describe Henry's dinner with Van Hoss.

4. What happens when Henry calls in to work?

5. What causes Henry Lightcap to think of Red Ginter?

6. How would you characterize Henry Lightcap's relationships with women?

7. Who is Roggoway, and what is Henry's interaction with him?

8. Describe Henry's relationships at the beginning of the novel.

9. What is Henry's routine for his road trip?

10. What does Henry learn from his military experience?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In chapter two, Joe remarks that Henry is in for a troubled life, and Lorraine says that at least it won't be a dull life. In what ways is Henry troubled? In what ways is his life the opposite of dull? (In what ways is he hardly troubled? In what ways is his life dull?)

Essay Topic 2

What is Henry's relationship with his family? In what ways is he a misfit? In what ways is he one of them?

Essay Topic 3

How important is Henry's childhood on the events that followed? What aspects of it were most formative? What formative influences did he feel later in life?

(see the answer keys)

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