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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. Upon entering his mother's home, what smell made David's eyes water?

2. Who does David find out has died while he was in Egypt?

3. Who calls to tell David that his father is in the hospital?

4. After examining David, what does the nurse come to find out is David's real injury?

5. What does David describe his knight-in-shining-armor plans as?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is David sweating while on the plane to San Antonio?

2. Why is David afraid of the nurse reporting the abuse to the authorities?

3. What advice does David's father have for him as he gets ready to leave for the Air Force?

4. Why does David choose to stay at the dorms rather than go out with the other soldiers?

5. How does David's father "tell" him where the badge is?

6. Why is David's grandmother so upset with his mother (her daughter) after his father's death?

7. Why is David so upset about his father being in the hospital?

8. How does David impress the Air Force sergeant assigned to his enlistment paperwork?

9. Why is David shocked by the one and only letter his father sends him?

10. What is the only way that David knows how to deal with his father's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe David's relationship with his father. What kind of relationship does David have with his father when he is a child? How does David come to accept his father's decisions during his childhood? What part of David's relationship helps him to face the future?

Essay Topic 2

David dreams of the Russian River many times throughout the novel. Explain the importance of the Russian River to David. Why is the this place so important to him? Is it his memories or his planning for the future that fuel his love for the river?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast David's grandmother and mother. How are the two women similar? How are they different? How do they both treat David? Are there any signs in the novel to explain their behaviors?

(see the answer keys)

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