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

2. Buechner refers to which one of his other books?

3. Buechner talks about the presence of two men in the house. What were the men doing that made noise?

4. Everyone should be conscious of what the ____ is/are trying to tell us.

5. What name does the author use when referring to paradise?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the scenario around the death of Freddy's father.

2. Discuss Freddy's favorite book as a child. Which character was Freddy's favorite?

3. Describe Buechner's experience during the morning when he was attempting to ignore the sound of the carpenters working in the house.

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

5. What is Buechner's advice to his readers?

6. Who is Frederick Buechner? Why is this book important?

7. What is Freddy's opinion regarding the memories of the dead?

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

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

10. What is Freddy's opinion of his father?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Examine Freddy's relationship with Grandma Buechner. What was the relationship between Grandmother and grandson? What about the grandmother's house gave Freddy a sense of security that could be found nowhere else? What was unusual about Grandma Buechner? Why did the family turn to her in a time of need? What was the relationship between Freddy's father and the grandmother? What was the relationship between Kathy and her mother-in-law? How did the woman continue to influence Freddy's life?

Essay Topic 3

Freddy was sent to Germany to fight in World War II. Discuss the assignment. What was the purpose of the assignment? When was Buechner deployed? How long was he in Germany? What type of emotional disturbance did Freddy experience while on a mission? What had Freddy been ordered to do? What happened next? How did the situation affect Freddy's life?

(see the answer keys)

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