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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 kind of car does Howard borrow from Jimmy Drizos in Chapter 4?

2. What does Howard's mother cook for breakfast the morning after Howard's father has been taken away in Chapter 3?

3. What part of a clock is described in Chapter 4 as "where the energy generated by the mainspring finally escapes the clock"?

4. Edward Billings is the manager of what bank frequented by George?

5. The narrator says in Chapter 4, "The escapement on a clock consists of a collar on a pinion, called" what?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What characters are introduced during Howard's journey to search for his father in Chapter 3, Part 2?

3. What hallucinations does Howard experience in Tagg Pond in Chapter 3, Part 2?

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

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

6. When is the last time George awakens before he dies? What does he relate after awakening?

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

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

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

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

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

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?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the unseen character of Tom Budden and the story about Budden’s house in Chapter 2. Why does the author include this story in Tinkers? What does the door to Tom Budden’s house represent symbolically in the novel?

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