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. Where in Florida did Lynch's father die?

2. What was the surname on the stone that hit Stephanie?

3. At the time of Thomas Lynch's accident, how many years had his father been sober?

4. To what state was Lynch flying when he first thought of a golfatorium?

5. What was the name of the woman whose body smelled bad because of her last meal?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. If the dead don't care, why did Lynch get up in the middle of the night to tend to the newly deceased?

5. Of all the choices offered by Lynch to explain Stephanie's death, which one seemed to be the one he would choose?

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

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

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

9. What are the dangers of viewing the dead as an "embarrassment?"

10. What are the unique problems faced by undertakers trying to "advertise" their services?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lynch suggested that a priest interested in a simple funeral might have more of an effect on his parishioners if he lived a life of simplicity rather than wait until he was dead (and beyond caring). Why did Lynch say that a being a dead saint was not worthwhile? Would a simple funeral satisfy the needs of the living and would it convince people of the saintliness of the dead person? Or is it better to live a life of simplicity and then allow the living to do whatever they feel the need to do once you've died? Why did the priest seem shocked by Lynch's advice?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Uncle Eddie's suicide cleanup business (note: there are actual businesses that focus on cleaning up scenes of violent deaths, including suicides and murders). How did Eddie's business provide society with a valuable service? How did the cleanup after these deaths usually get done before such services? How is it an act of kindness for an outsider to clean up the scene so that loved ones do not have to see it? How does this relate to the general services provided by funeral parlors and undertakers?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the significance of the rebuilding of the Oak Grove bridge. Why was Mary Jackson so determined to have her funeral procession take the traditional route across the bridge to the cemetery? What sentiments did Lynch express in his poem for the dedication? How is a town affected by its proximity to the dead and its willingness to acknowledge, rather than hide, the dead? How were the older funeral processions (past houses rather than businesses) superior to the ones after the bridge collapsed? Why is it important that the dead be remembered?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,132 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample