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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. Who is the author of The Reasonable Horologist that is quoted in Chapter 1?

2. What religious denomination does the narrator say George settled on after being a Methodist and a Congregationalist in Chapter 1?

3. What does George's collapsing house symbolize in the novel?

4. Who does the narrator describe as having gone mad and lit his house on fire, killing himself and a woman with two children, in Chapter 2?

5. How many stitches does the doctor give George after his hand has been bitten in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How is Kathleen's behavior described when Howard Crosby arrives home late after having a seizure in Chapter 1, Part 2?

3. What does George discover in his mother's pamphlet in Chapter 2, Part 2? How does she respond when she finds him reading it?

4. How would you describe Kathleen's perspective in the story? What are Kathleen's feelings about her family?

5. What prompts Howard's decision to leave his family in Chapter 2, Part 2? Is this action a selfish or selfless act?

6. How does Howard find George after he's run away from home in Chapter 2, Part 2? What are his thoughts upon finding his son?

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

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

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

10. How is the setting described when George awakens "one hundred and thirty-two hours" before he dies in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the author’s style of dialogue in the novel. Why do you think that Paul Harding chooses not to use quotation marks when the characters speak to one another? How does this choice affect you as a reader? How is the choice reflective of the themes in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and analyze the characters of Reverend and Mrs. Crosby in Tinkers. How old are Rev. Crosby and Mrs. Crosby in Howard’s flashbacks to his father’s mental deterioration? What kind of relationship do they have with their son? What do you think are the causes of Reverend Crosby’s collapse?

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