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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. Whom does Tom Crick quote as saying, "we cannot step into the same river twice?"

2. How does Freddie Parr's father Jack react to the ruling by the court that Freddie's death was an accident?

3. Which one of the following is NOT one of the ghosts that is said to haunt the marches along the River Leem?

4. What is the name of the student Tom Crick butts heads with the most?

5. Why does Tom Crick decide to study the history of the Fens?

Short Essay Questions

1. In chapter 46, Tom opens his mother's chest in the attic and finds a few items. What are they and what is their significance?

2. In chapter 38, Tom describes the death of his mother from the flu. What is most remarkable about it to him?

3. In chapter 41, Mary makes a decision to see someone for help with her miscarriage. Whom does Mary want to go and see?

4. In chapter 34, Mary's experiment to teach Dick about love ends abruptly. How?

5. In chapter 8, Tom Crick speaks about how humans tell stories. What are some examples he uses about how history and fiction sometimes seem to overlap?

6. In chapter 5, what does Tom notice about Freddie Parr's face, and what does he conclude from it?

7. In chapter 6, Tom Crick suggests that the Fens and history have what in common?

8. In chapter 24, Tom, Dick, Freddie Parr, Mary Metcalf, and a few other kids are playing together near the water. What is the importance of the eel to all the events that transpire afterwards?

9. In chapter 29, Tom comes up with a way to test whether Dick killed Freddie Parr. What does he do to provoke a reaction from Dick? What reaction does he get?

10. In chapter 22, the role of Ernest Atkinson in the events of Coronation Day is ambiguous. Please describe the events of Coronation Day and why they appear to have happened.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Graham Swift's novel Waterland is set in the fictional town on Gildsey and along a fictional river, the River Leem. The Fenlands, the River Ouse, the town of Ely, and many other details are, however, real. In a sense, that fact is symbolic for how the novel treats the relationship between history and story. Using specifics and quotes from the novel, explore the relationship between fact and fiction in the novel. Make sure to include Tom Crick's opinions about history in your discussion.

Essay Topic 2

In Graham Swift's novel Waterland, one major theme is that of being truthful--both towards oneself and towards others. The narrator, Tom, is the best example for that struggle. Give an example from Tom's story (or from his story-telling) of instances when telling the truth matters very much, but either Tom or the reader cannot tell whether the truth is being told. Explore what difference it would have made in that instance if the truth had been told.

Essay Topic 3

During his history lessons, the narrator of Graham Swift's novel Waterland, Tom Crick, stops teaching directly about the French Revolution and instead begins to tell stories about the Fenlands and about his family history. Giving specific examples from the book, explain why Tom Crick does this and what he wants to convey about the meaning of history by employing that tactic.

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