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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. Who is the bartender where Will and Phoebe have drinks?

2. Why does Phoebe's mother move out?

3. Why do Julian's parents not talk to him?

4. Who is David Ling?

5. What is the name of the building that fell?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Will first meet Phoebe?

2. What personal item of Phoebe's does John Leal look inside?

3. Where does Will go for a summer internship?

4. Why does Will ask for a promotion?

5. What is the composition that Phoebe considers the most challenging piano piece?

6. With whom does Will hold a research position?

7. Why does Phoebe get angry with Will after winter break (in Chapter 13)?

8. What fraternity does Will pledge?

9. In what year of college are Will and Phoebe?

10. Where are Phoebe and her mother driving home from on the evening of the car accident?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Select one of the three primary characters (Will, Phoebe, or John Leal) and discuss the changes that this character undergoes. These changes may include physical or emotional changes as well as changes in relationships with other characters. In addition to addressing this change, discuss how this change propels the novel's plot.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the voice of John Leal as presented within the chapters titled for him. Explain his messages, how they are delivered (whether, for example, clearly or unclearly) and how his messages might be interpreted.

Essay Topic 3

The Incendiaries was published in 2018, over a decade after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The author makes various use of terrorist attacks at one point in the novel (in Chapter 37). Write an essay on the book's currency with respect to its theme of terrorism. While your main argument should focus on the text, you man consult outside sources to research other acts of terrorism that the author may have used for inspiration. In your essay, state whether you think the bombing constitutes an act of terrorism. Is it a realistic portrayal? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 492 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample