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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 word used by Howard in Chapter 3 refers to a disgrace or humiliation?

2. What magazine does Nikki Bocheki read while she sits with George in Chapter 4?

3. How many men are waiting outside when Howard's father is taken away in Chapter 3?

4. Around what year does Howard say the local Indian died or disappeared during his childhood in Chapter 3?

5. How many triangles should you cut in order to make a bird's nest, according to the narrative in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How would you describe George's relationship with his family as he passes from life in Tinkers?

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

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

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

5. How would you describe the language style of Tinkers? Is the language easy to understand?

6. What is epilepsy? How was this disorder treated in the 1920s/1930s?

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

8. What is the principle motif used throughout Tinkers? What does this motif represent?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Gilbert in the novel. Other than Howard, who does Gilbert associate with? Where does Gilbert live? What similarities do Gilbert and Howard Crosby share? How are these characters different? What do you think that Gilbert’s character represents symbolically in the novel?

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

Describe the fictional book The Reasonable Horologist by the Rev. Kenner Davenport. When was this book published? What is the book’s implied origins in George’s life? What does the book symbolize? How does the language of these excerpts differ from the main narrative of Tinkers?

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