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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 does Will imagine comes to Phoebe's side during the explosion?

2. Where do Will and Phoebe have a picnic?

3. Into what does Phoebe collide in her car accident?

4. In what Chinese city did John Leal live?

5. Which of the following is not a food Will packs for their picnic?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Will ask for a promotion?

2. How does Will first meet Phoebe?

3. Where does John Leal's group kneel each morning?

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

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

6. Who is the female waitress where Will works?

7. With whom does Will hold a research position?

8. What beverage do Will and Phoebe drink during their first visit to John Leal's house?

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

10. With whom does Phoebe go to live after her mother's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you discuss the effect of the author's narrative structure. The story is told from a combination of first-person and third-person narration, as well as from multiple perspectives. Analyze the author's decision to tell the story in this way. How does this narrative style contribute to the reading experience? Do you agree with this structure, or would another structure have been more effective?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay in which you examine Phoebe's relationship with Julian Noh (her Korean friend). What attracts Julian and Phoebe to one another, and is this friendship beneficial? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

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)

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