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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Howard says of his father in Chapter 3, "The world fell away from my father the way he fell away from us. We became" what?
(a) His regret.
(b) His ghost.
(c) His suffering.
(d) His dream.

2. What word from Chapter 3 refers to a circle of the earth passing through the poles and the observer's zenith?
(a) Atmosphere.
(b) Circumspect.
(c) Circumference.
(d) Meridian.

3. What word used in Chapter 3 refers to a didactic story which illustrates instructive lessons or principles?
(a) Enumeration.
(b) Parable.
(c) Fable.
(d) Psalm.

4. How many triangles should you cut in order to make a bird's nest, according to the narrative in Chapter 4?
(a) 2.
(b) 6.
(c) 8.
(d) 4.

5. What is Nikki Bocheki's profession?
(a) She is a nurse.
(b) She is a police officer.
(c) She is a cellist.
(d) She is a teacher.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of wood was Howard's father's canoe made from that he recalls in Chapter 3?

2. Approximately how old is George as he lay dying in the novel?

3. Of his parents, Howard says in Chapter 3, "That he and my mother should wrestle him into his clothes in the dark seemed" what?

4. What kind of car is Nikki Bocheki driving when he visits George in Chapter 4?

5. What word from Chapter 3 means characterized by length of speech or wordiness, or scattered?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the principle motif used throughout Tinkers? What does this motif represent?

2. What is the last thing that George remembers before he dies in Chapter 4?

3. What is the significance of the title of Tinkers? Who does this term apply to in the novel?

4. How does Howard's medical condition change after he moves away and begins living under an alias?

5. Who does Howard Crosby marry in Philadelphia? How is this character described?

6. How is Howard's death described in Chapter 4? What is this description juxtaposed against?

7. How are George's finances described in Chapter 4, Part 1? Why does George concern himself with his finances?

8. Where does Howard go to search for his father after Reverend Crosby's disappearance in Chapter 3?

9. What alias does Howard Crosby take on after he leaves his family? Where does he go?

10. How does the theme of competition apply to the characters of Howard and Reverend Crosby?

(see the answer keys)

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