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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 is a quality that Jack possesses?

2. What type of business does the person in #8 own?

3. Where did Pat and his new wife move after graduation?

4. Who is the narrator of the story?

5. In what city is the college in #60 located?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ralph Bird do when he spots Jack back in Holt?

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

3. What information does the author reveal about Jack Burdette at the beginning of the novel?

4. How was Jack's father killed?

5. How does the sheriff treat Jack when he finds him?

6. What happens that gives Wanda Jo a glimmer of hope regarding a life with Jack?

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

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

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

10. What is Jack Burdette doing at the beginning of the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Jack Burdette and Pat Arbuckle. As young men, both are trying to carve out new lives but seem to have different methods and goals. How are Jack and Pat alike? How are they different? On what things do they agree? What is the thing that threatens to separate them? What other similarities and dissimilarities are there between the two characters?

Essay Topic 2

What is the point of view of the story? What are the benefits and the limitations to this particular point of view? How is the point of view determined? Provide an example that supports your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Does Haruf end the story on a note of hope for the characters, or will they continue to struggle with their relationships and hopes for their lives? Give your perspective and two reasons to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 830 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample