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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. At the beginning of Chapter 9, where does Jack go?

2. Specifically, what do the people who gather to remember Jack recall about him?

3. What is the doubt that Andy's girlfriend has about their relationship?

4. When Mat sees the coffin, what is his opinion of it?

5. What does Mat think Jacks wishes are for a funeral service?

Short Essay Questions

1. After his accident on the flooded roadway, what had Jack decided to do?

2. What happens when Mat finds that Jack has not shown up for his normal routine?

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

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

5. What does Andy begin thinking about as his conversation with Jack comes to a lull?

6. What was the result of Jack's plans for Glad and Clara to take over the farm?

7. What was Jack's relationship with his daughter Clara like?

8. What does Margaret Feltner tell Andy before he leaves?

9. What does Mat observe and realize after the preacher concludes his prayer during Jack's funeral?

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

What is the author's point in writing this novel? Clearly, Wendell Berry was trying to get a message to Americans through Jack's story. Write an essay that explains what you think Berry's point is and whether or not he was effective in making the point.

Essay Topic 3

When Mat tells Mattie the rabbit hunter story, the moral of the story is that people should be content with what they have in life and not strive to acquire more. Is that moral the moral of Jack's life? Was Jack truly content with what he had? Did Jack escape the temptation to strive for more in all areas of his life? Was Jack's contentment with life always a good thing in all aspects of his life? Write an essay that analyzes Mat's impression of Jack's contentment with life.

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