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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. How old was the boy whose mother strangled him with a belt?

3. What kind of food made Lynch and Patterson sick in Ireland?

4. What kind of church did Milo belong to?

5. How did Jessica Mitford refer to undertakers' work on human bodies?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How did Lynch's mother and father differ in their reactions to the normal "threats" of childhood?

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

4. How did Lynch describe the difference between chance and coincidence?

5. What did Lynch mean when he stated that "one hand washes the other" in Chapter 1?

6. In what fundamental ways did the flush toilet change human civilization?

7. What was Nora's reaction to her impending death?

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

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

10. What did Lynch lament about the modern homes Americans live in?

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

Houses used to be the location of many of life's most significant occurrences (birth, courtship, marriage, death and funeral preparation). Today, many American homes have rooms that are rarely used (living rooms) and rooms that appear to be nothing more than trophies (huge kitchens in homes where eating out is the norm). How has this change affected society? How has it affected the ability of families to remain close to one another? Are there any benefits to this arrangement? How has isolating key aspects of life from one another affected us?

Essay Topic 3

Lynch and his brothers embalmed their father's body at his request. What was the significance of this act? Do you think it was painful or satisfying? Why did the father want his sons to do this? Why did the sons agree to it rather than hire another undertaker from outside the family? How did the father benefit from knowing that his sons would be there for him at his death? And how did the sons benefit from this act?

(see the answer keys)

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