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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. When Fenno was a boy, how many mornings a week would there be a foxhunt thundering through the acreage back of the house?

2. What color roses grew on the eaves of Conkers?

3. How long is the boat trip in Chapter 2?

4. After the tour group explores ruins in Chapter 2, where do they plan to go next?

5. Where did Tony Best grow up?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is found in an old vase in Chapter 6?

2. What is inside the envelope that Fenno finds addressed to him in his father's desk?

3. Why did Mal ask Fenno to be his health proxy?

4. Where did Paul meet his wife?

5. What does Fenno say about his mother's death in Chapter 4?

6. What does Paul do for a living, and how does he like his job?

7. What do Veronique and her daughters wear for Paul's funeral?

8. Who was Malachy Burns?

9. What are some sketches that Fern shows Paul?

10. What is the favorite piece that Marjorie buys on the trip to Greece?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fenno finds a letter his father wrote to him and never mailed. What does Fenno start to learn from the letter? How do these lessons affect Fenno and his attitude toward life?

Essay Topic 2

Fern and Fenno reach New York at the end of the novel. How does Fern think that a trip through the Midtown Tunnel makes it difficult to know where you will emerge? How does that relate to Fern’s view of life? In what way do the twists and turns of life, like the tunnel, always take people where they intended to be?

Essay Topic 3

Fern’s friend Anna does not believe in fate, but destiny. What is the difference between fate and destiny? How does the author show that people are in charge of their lives, and that their choices lead them to the lives they are meant to have, rather than being at the mercy of fate?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 736 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample