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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. What does Howard give the hermit to drink before he pulls his tooth in Chapter 1?

2. What word is used in Chapter 1 to refer to angels?

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

4. What word used in Chapter 2 refers to a device for creating applause in theaters?

5. What does George wrap the dead mouse with in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is George's condition described in the beginning of Chapter 1? Where is George located, and what does he ask for when he first awakens?

2. How is the natural phenomenon of lightning used as a metaphor in Chapter 1?

3. What thoughts does Howard have regarding human perception of one's condition in the end of Chapter 2?

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

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

6. How does George become injured when he witnesses his father's seizure in Chapter 2, Part 1?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the themes of abandonment and loss in Tinkers. How does Howard’s sense of loss over his father later influence his own actions? How does Howard’s loss compare with George’s? Do these losses build upon one another?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the theme of family in Tinkers. What do you think the term “family” means to each of the following characters: Howard, George, and Reverend Crosby? What does “family” mean to the female characters in the novel? How would you describe George’s relationship with his family as he lays dying in the contemporary storyline?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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