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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 do problems in a person's attitude toward work signal?

2. In Chapter 10, the men who listen to Miller present his talk question ________________?

3. In Chapter 11, what valuable lesson does Miller learn when living with the MacMurrays?

4. Chapter 11 relates a story from a movie about a woman who fails to return correct change for a purchase. How does the clerk at the gas station in this movie describe this woman?

5. Miller writes Chapter 11 without making reference to whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 9, Girls, Miller asserts that growing up without a father has left him poorly prepared to be in a relationship. Why is this surprising?

2. Miller learns to play chess from a friend. He also tells a story about a man, Salome Thomas-El teaching boys from a ghetto to play chess. He sees a connection between playing chess and life for young men raised without fathers. What is this connection?

3. Many people, including the famous Dr. Alfred Kinsey, have researched sex. What have we learned from these sex researchers?

4. Miller assumes that humans have to work because God is punishing the sinful nature of humanity. MacMurray disagrees. How does MacMurray explain humanity's need to work?

5. In Chapter 7, Miller states that his definition of manhood changed over time. How did it change?

6. In Chapter 9, Girls, Miller tells the story of a young woman in a coffee shop. Why does he tell this story?

7. Chapter 7 is the last chapter in which Miller talks extensively about his mother. How does his thinking about his mother change from the beginning of this book to this chapter?

8. Miller learns the secret to a successful love relationship from a married friend. According this married friend, what is this secret and what does it look like?

9. In Chapter 10, Miller makes a presentation to a fraternity on the topic of sex. What do these men suggest the consequences are for young men who decide to "live a moral high ground"?

10. In Chapter 9, why does Miller say that he dated?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 6, Miller specifically addresses authority and love. He uses authority in a very positive manner. He goes so far in Chapter 5 and in Chapter 6 to suggest that submission to authority is crucial to one's faith journey and for men raised without fathers. How do you define authority? Do you agree with Miller's assertion that authority is positive and one should submit to it in order to understand father-son love or to complete your faith journey?

Essay Topic 2

You have finished the book. Evaluate the author's ability to present his message, effectively or not, to the reader. What techniques does the author use to present his message and himself? What are the strengths of this method of memoir writing? What are the limitations of this approach to memoir writing? Does the author have biases in the book? What worked for you as you read this book? What did not? Use examples from the book to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 11, work ethic is examined. However, the author does not provide a definition of work ethic. Instead, he describes several work ethics characteristics.

a. Identify the characteristics that Miller indicates are parts of a work ethics. How did apply them to himself? Do you agree or not with the characteristics that he identified? What characteristics of a good work ethic did he not address?

b. Miller connects his understanding of work ethics of humans as a spiritual responsibility. How does he do this? Do you agree or not with his explanation of work ethics as spiritual responsibility?

c. In addition, there are many other critical characteristics of a good work ethic. What characteristics did he not address that he should address? Do these additional characteristics contribute to his comparison of work ethics to a faith based explanation?

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