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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 Swede realize that Merry has been since she was fifteen after he sees her in Chapter 6?

2. Who does Swede see having sex in the kitchen of his house at the end of Chapter 7?

3. What does Dawn blame along with Swede for her poor condition after Merry's disappearance?

4. Whose meetings were described as the American Pastoral par excellence?

5. How many times was Merry raped while moving around the country homeless?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Swede describe Barry Umanoff and Marcia Schwartz's marriage?

2. What is the nature of Swede's phone call with Rita at the beginning of Chapter 9?

3. How does Swede compare his life to Johnny Appleseed?

4. What is the nature of the letter Swede receives from Rita at the beginning of Chapter 5?

5. What does Swede witness when he walks in on Dawn and Bill in his kitchen during the dinner party?

6. How does Swede suggest that the Miss New Jersey pageant ruined Dawn?

7. What does Merry tell Swede she did while in Miami in Chapter 6?

8. How are Lou's feelings towards the Nixon administration described in the book?

9. How does Merry live as a Jain?

10. How are Merry's values as a Jain described in the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of tone. What details is the author able to introduce about the characters by using varying tones in one chapter?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Jerry and Swede. What is significant about the personality and moral differences in these two characters?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the role of stuttering in the book. What did Merry's bout with stuttering suggest about her mental health?

(see the answer keys)

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