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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 old was Nugent's second wife when they married?

2. What immigrant group did Lynch say has a fondness for funeral services?

3. How many years had Nugent's first marriage lasted?

4. How many golf courses opened in Milford in the course of a year?

5. What concept did the Second Vatican Council eliminate?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Lynch "resolve" his feelings about the existence of God?

2. How did Lynch feel about constantly taking Nugent's phone calls following the divorce?

3. According to Lynch, why do people find it important to have bodies to bury?

4. How does Lynch view the work done by his colleague Wesley Rice with the young, murdered girl?

5. When and why did the regular practice of embalming begin?

6. Why was Lynch's father fond of quoting Gladstone?

7. Why did the priest insist on a simple funeral and burial service and why was Lynch unimpressed?

8. Why did Lynch enjoy not having access to indoor plumbing when he first visited his cousins in Ireland?

9. How did Lynch convey the sensuality of the preparation and eating of the artichoke?

10. What did Lynch mean by "the poor cousin of fear is rage?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the first chapter, Lynch repeatedly states that "the dead don't care" and that only the living care what happens to the body. Why are the dead valuable to the living? Why do the living feel the need to have ceremonies and other ways to recognize someone who no longer cares? In what ways are funeral services really for the living? Would it really matter what we do with the dead?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the feasibility of the "golfatorium" envisioned by Lynch. Would Americans accept such a concept? How would it fit into the general American attitude that cemeteries are a waste of land because they don't serve the living? How would it fit into the American concept of one-stop shopping for services? Would it be possible to maintain a sense of respect and dignity for the dead at a golf course?

Essay Topic 3

Lynch wanted to know the day he would die so he could recognize the midpoint when he arrived at it. Do you think it is possible to intuitively know the midpoint of your life? Why did Lynch pick that Halloween as his likely midpoint? What was is perspective on his life at that point? What would be the advantages to knowing the midpoint of your life? Would it affect how you viewed different periods of your life? is there actually an equilibrium that people automatically reach at midlife?

(see the answer keys)

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