View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What movie did the kids see?

2. How old was Jamie?

3. Buechner talks about the cold weather they faced while driving through which mountain range?

4. How many children were there in Mr. Buechner's family?

5. Freddy compares his grandmother to which object?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Freddy carry this character into his future studies and beliefs?

2. How is the death of Freddy's father foreshadowed? How is it related to the rest of the author's life?

3. What are Buechner's thoughts regarding adulthood and emotional maturity?

4. Discuss the presence of Grandma Buechner. How close is the family to the grandmother?

5. Why does Buechner use Eden as a reference? How does it relate to the way people see the world? What is the main difference between the views of adults and children?

6. Examine the author's tale of the suppression of grief following his father's death. How does the family run away from the situation?

7. What is the common thread between Freddy's sudden departure, his father's death and "Gone With The Wind?"

8. Did Buechner leave a suicide note? If so, where was it left and what did it say?

9. How does Buechner refer to the exact moment when time begins to exist for him?

10. How does Freddy's dependency upon his parents affect him in a negative way?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Buechner's years at Princeton. What were his majors? Who did Buechner meet while at school? Who were his friends? What types of activities did Buechner prefer? In which subjects did Buechner excel? How did college change Freddy's financial situation? How was Freddy's relationship to his family during this time?

Essay Topic 2

Freddy finally found a style of writing that suited him. What was that style? What types of themes were tackled by Freddy? What was the title of his first book? What was the main theme? Was the book autobiographical? How did Freddy relate his life to the characters and events in the book? Explain. Using the information given in the book, write an outline or synopsis of Freddy's first work.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the time the Buechners spent in Bermuda. Why did Mrs. Buechner take the family to Bermuda? Who went along? Where in Bermuda did the family stay? Was it intended to be a vacation or a permanent move? What were the opinions of the three grandparents? What was Kathy's reasoning for the trip? How did the family react to their new surroundings? How long did they stay? What prompted the move to North Carolina? What about the time in Bermuda stayed with Freddy? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,005 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample