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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 what time did Mil Hornsby's wife call to announce his death?

2. Where in Florida did Lynch's father die?

3. In what year was St. Stephen martyred?

4. In what era did Gladstone live?

5. To what fast food restaurant did Lynch refer when talking about non-custodial parents?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do most people never pay attention to the figure Lynch called "The Big One"?

2. How did the modern amenities (toilet, television, etc.) change life in the old Irish cottage?

3. Why did the Lynch brothers take care of their father's body rather than allow a local undertaker to do the job?

4. What is the essential difference between burying the old and burying infants?

5. How did Lynch handle being a father while serving as an undertaker and seeing dead children?

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

7. Did Lynch profess to a certain fascination with dead bodies?

8. What did Lynch consider the mark of a good faith leader?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

In discussing the divorce of his friend, Henry Nugent, Lynch said divorced men in our society are seen as damaged goods. What did he mean by that? In what ways was the divorce easier on Nugent's ex-wife? How does divorce affect the father's relationship with the children? How did Lynch's divorce differ from many other American divorces?

Essay Topic 3

Lynch quotes Gladstone as stating that he could tell how a people respected the laws of the land by how they treated their dead. Do you agree with this? What does the way in which society treats its dead say about that society? Does it go beyond simply obeying laws? How does a society's way of "caring" for the dead reflect its attitude toward life? How do you think modern American society treats its dead and how does this reflect our overall society?

(see the answer keys)

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