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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. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 6, the next time the guys in suits show up, who do they show Bobby a picture of that he recognizes?

2. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 5, Where does Bobby see John Sheddan?

3. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 5, what does John say that men truly seek?

4. In the non-italicized section of Chapter 5, what does John say to the waiter that he definitely does not want?

5. In the italicized section of Chapter 7, who does the girl say made the dummy's suit?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Bobby's pet while Bobby is away on the jack-up rig? How does it happen?

2. Why does the girl go to the hospital? Is her visit to the hospital successful?

3. What is Bobby's response to the IRS agent at the post office?

4. Over the winter, Bobby has a dream of a doctor and a nurse showing him something and asking if Bobby wants to show that something to her. What is the thing that they are discussing and who is the "her"?

5. In Chapter 5, when Bobby meets Sheddan for lunch, at the beginning of their conversation how does Sheddan describe Bobby as an archetypal figure?

6. One night while Bobby is in Wartburg, Bobby mentions Alice's papers. Who is Alice? What happened to her?

7. What does the girl say to the Kid about why she does not write down her mathematical conjectures?

8. As a child what does Bobby find in the woods?

9. Where does Bobby go to live for the winter after having his conversation with Kline about Bobby getting on with his life?

10. In the opening of the non-italicized section of Chapter 6, where is Bobby and what is he doing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What do you think of John Sheddan's character? What kind of person is he? What aspect of the author does he represent?

Essay Topic 2

Do you think that there is an actual missing passenger? What do you think the missing passenger represents? Can the missing passenger be a metaphor or a symbol that has multiple meanings?

Essay Topic 3

Why does the author include a lengthy section of conversation about math and physics? What is your experience reading this section? Does it have a connection to the rest of the story? What do you get out of reading a conversation like that, that is difficult for a lot of people to understand?

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