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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 does the sheriff do when he confronts Jack?

2. What college do Jack and Pat attend?

3. Who is the first person to notice the character in #2?

4. Who was the owner of the town's newspaper?

5. Why were Jack's friends not happy with the arrangements of meeting in Jack's room?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Jack's room at the boarding house become for his friends?

2. How could Jack be characterized as a kid and what were the circumstances of his school years?

3. What does Wanda Jo do when she learns that Jack got married?

4. What negative behavior characteristics does Jack show through his actions?

5. How does Jack's childhood behavior mirror the environment in his home?

6. What role does Wanda Jo play in Jack's life after his stint in the army, and what does Wanda Jo hope for regarding Jack?

7. Describe Jack's high school years.

8. Why was Jack expelled from college and where did he go after leaving school?

9. Who does Pat marry, and what is their early married life like?

10. Compare and contrast Pat and Jack's perspectives on the college experience.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe grain elevator. What is its role in the community? Is it typical of businesses in small towns in rural America?

Essay Topic 2

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for the lives of Jack, Jessie, their sons , Wanda Jo and Pat Arbuckle. Be sure to include work, socialization, marital status, hobbies, etc.

Essay Topic 3

Survival seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of survival? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the characters' lives? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

(see the answer keys)

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