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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 long did Penelope have to wait to be granted asylum after fleeing the Eastern Bloc?

2. How old is Tommy described as in "Warming Up the Clay Way"?

3. What did Penelope and Michael do with Michael's paintings of Abbey when they married?

4. On the title page of "The Clay Stack," Michael Dunbar wrote to Clay to refer to what page in "THE OLD PLAN"?

5. What was the paperweight on "The Clay Stack"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Michael propose to Penelope? How did she respond?

2. What is the symbolic significance of the "ol' TW" in the novel (149)?

3. What led to the end of Michael's relationship with Abbey?

4. How did Michael Dunbar first meet Abbey Hanley?

5. Discuss the structure of the novel. How is the story related?

6. What essential information is related in the prologue of the novel?

7. Why did Penelope like the house at 18 Archer Street?

8. How and why did Penelope purchase a piano?

9. How did Penelope feel about emigrating from her childhood home? Why?

10. What is revealed in the letters Clay receives in Part 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the symbolism of the pets in the Dunbar home. What are the pets' names? Why is this significant? Who cares for the pets? What do these pets each represent?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the impact of Penelope's death on the Dunbar family. How did each member of the family cope with this loss? Who was affected the most by Penelope's death? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the character of Michael Dunbar in Bridge of Clay. To whom was Michael first married? What happened to their marriage? When and where did he meet Penelope? What led Michael to leave his family?

(see the answer keys)

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