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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 reason for the town's attitude toward Rose as Jack encounters her the second time?

2. Why is Mat annoyed on the day of the funeral?

3. How does Jack feel about television?

4. How old was Jack when Ruth suffered her heart attack?

5. After Jack asks Andy questions, what happens?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Andy sees Jack right before he leaves?

2. What happens in Chapter Nine when Jack goes back to his room?

3. What kind of burial does Mat know Jack would have wanted to have?

4. What happened after Jack found Ruth struggling to breathe?

5. How did people pay their respects to Jack at the Felter's house?

6. Why does Wheeler go to Jack's farm?

7. Why is Mat annoyed with the preacher during Jack's funeral?

8. Who is Wheeler and why has he had to spend more time away from the farm than usual?

9. What does Andy do before he leaves Port William to go to college?

10. What happens to Jack after he has to rent out the farm?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are many times during Jack's recollections where he wishes things would have been different, and often, these events could have been dramatically changed if Jack had chosen to do something about the situation. Repeatedly, the reader sees that Jack is unwilling to do much to change those situations. Is Jack's unwillingness to actively change situations in his life just a matter of his personality, or does it have something to do with the way he was raised? Could this passive nature of Jack have to do with societal customs of the time in which he was living? Write an essay that addresses this topic.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that analyzes Jack, the protagonist in the novel. First, summarize the basic facts about his life. Second, summarize the primary relationships he had in his life. Third, explain his moral flaws and his moral virtues.

Essay Topic 3

The Memory of Old Jack is a novel of historical fiction. Write an essay that explains what makes this novel historical fiction as opposed to simply fiction. Include a summary of the historical events and issues that this novel addresses.

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This section contains 875 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample