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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. What is referred to in Chapter 4 as "that part of a clock which keeps time"?
(a) The dulcimer.
(b) The escape wheel.
(c) The going train.
(d) The pinion.

2. When Howard's mother helps his father dress before he is taken away in Chapter 3, Howard describes it as appearing as though she is dressing what?
(a) A scarecrow.
(b) A child.
(c) An otter.
(d) A puppy.

3. What are the men wearing as they wait outside to take Howard's father away in Chapter 3?
(a) White coats and hats.
(b) Blue hospital uniforms.
(c) Black coats and hats.
(d) Blue coats and hats.

4. What month is it when Howard dies in Chapter 4?
(a) July.
(b) January.
(c) September.
(d) August.

5. What kind of wood was Howard's father's canoe made from that he recalls in Chapter 3?
(a) Pine.
(b) Willow.
(c) Birch.
(d) Ash.

Short Answer Questions

1. The narrator says in the opening of Chapter 4, "During the days, George was aware of a large group of people murmuring and flowing in and out of the room as if on tides." What literary device is used in this sentence?

2. The term "moors" from the novel was used in Europe to describe what group of people?

3. How much money is hidden in George's workbench downstairs in Chapter 4?

4. What historical figure is Howard studying in history when his father goes to the meeting regarding his mental deterioration in Chapter 3?

5. The narrator says of George as he dies in Chapter 4, "His bloodless legs were hard like wood." What literary device is used in this sentence?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How would you compare the "disappearances" of Reverend Crosby and Howard Crosby in the novel?

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

4. How do George's memories of his father relate to the theme of rites of passage in Tinkers?

5. Who comes to visit George in the opening of Chapter 4? What does this character do during her visit?

6. How does the theme of competition apply to the characters and relationship of George and Howard Crosby in Tinkers?

7. How did Howard's loss of his own father later influence his actions with his wife and children?

8. How is the disappearance of Reverend Crosby described in Chapter 3, Part 1? How does Howard's mother address the issue?

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

10. What is symbolic about the descriptions of Reverend Crosby fading from Howard's vision in Chapter 3, Part 1?

(see the answer keys)

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