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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. The hospital that Kathleen has a pamphlet for in Chapter 2 is located by what river?

2. Who is George's grandson that appears to be reading to him when he awakens in Chapter 1?

3. Who built George's house?

4. Why is Howard paid to shoot a dog, according to the narrator in Chapter 1?

5. What is the name of the man driving the flatbed truck as the doctor's house is moved in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does George ask for when he awakens ninety-six hours before his death? Who obliges his solicitation?

2. Who appears to be reading to George when he awakens in Chapter 1, Part 2? What book is being read?

3. Where does George go when he runs away from home in Chapter 2, Part 2? What does he take with him?

4. How would you describe George's relationship to animals and nature based upon his actions in Chapter 2?

5. What is ironic about George's role within his family, as illustrated in Chapter 2, Part 2?

6. What does George think about as he begins his chores on Monday in Chapter 2, Part 1? What does Howard think about?

7. Why do you think the author has constructed Tinkers with a nonlinear timeline? Why does he shift the narrative between Howard and George's stories in Chapter 1?

8. What does the doctor say after examining George's injury in Chapter 2, Part 2?

9. Who is George's father in the narrative? What did George's father do for a living?

10. What relationship does George Washington Crosby have with clocks in the novel? How did this relationship begin?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Kathleen in Tinkers. How does George’s relationship with his mother differ from his relationship with his father? How is Kathleen’s attitude described by the narrator? What kind of relationship does Kathleen have with her husband?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the imagery of the collapsing house in Chapter 1. In what ways does the house represent George’s body as he faces death? What are some specific examples of similes and metaphors that are used in describing the house? Where does George end up when the house collapses around him?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author’s literary allusions in Tinkers to The Scarlet Letter. When was The Scarlet Letter written? What subject matter is the story focused on? Where did Nathaniel Hawthorne supposedly attend college with the hermit Gilbert in Tinkers? What similarities do you see between the subjects and themes of The Scarlet Letter and Tinkers? Why do you think the author chooses to allude to this novel in Tinkers?

(see the answer keys)

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