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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. How many times has the narrator been at the facility?

2. Where do J.P. and his wife live?

3. How many children does the narrator's girlfriend have?

4. What does the narrator want to ask Tiny about what happened to him during breakfast?

5. What phrase does J.P. use to describe his wife physical appearance when they met?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator feel about his girlfriend?

2. Give an example of how the image of hills and valleys is used by the author.

3. What is the significance of the call the narrator intends to make to his wife at the end of the story?

4. Why does the proprietor tell the narrator and J.P. that Jack London was an alcoholic?

5. What is the plot of "To Build a Fire," the story the narrator remembers reading?

6. What is the significance of mentioning the razor nicks on J.P.'s and other residents' faces?

7. How is friendship presented in the story?

8. What does Joe Penny's name suggest?

9. Give an example of hopefulness in the story.

10. How do the narrator's two trips to the treatment facility differ?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is the character Frank Martin included in the story? Could the story have been told without him, or is he central to the themes?

Essay Topic 2

Does the narrator love his wife and his girlfriend? How can you tell?

Essay Topic 3

How do compassion and forgiveness figure into the story?

(see the answer keys)

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