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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. Which of the four men discussing the canoe trip leads a normal, suburban life?

2. What does Ed's wife ask him before his departure on the canoe trip?

3. Which of the men invited to take the canoe trip is more than happy to agree?

4. What does Ed always notice about people in the rural South?

5. While driving to Oree, what does Ed tell Lewis about himself?

Short Essay Questions

1. After the canoe trip, why is Ed not sorry when Bobby disappears from his life, even though, before the trip, he enjoyed knowing him?

2. When the group stops for a swim, why doesn't Bobby join them in the water?

3. Describe the map of the Cuhulawsassee River that Lewis shows to the men at the luncheon before the canoe trip.

4. Why does Ed go deer hunting on the morning of the second day of the trip?

5. What's the significance of the owl hunting from Ed's tent the first night?

6. Why does Lewis take the lead in the search for the river instead of following the Griner brothers?

7. At the luncheon, why does Ed think Bobby and Drew won't take the canoe trip?

8. After finding the body of the man he shot and realizing he might have shot the wrong man, how does Ed feel?

9. Why does Ed tell Drew's wife of her loss before getting a good rest at home?

10. Why did Ed let his employee, George Holley, go?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The four men who embark on the canoe trip are representative of typical suburban men of the seventies. Write a few paragraphs about the following:

1) Describe a typical suburban man of the seventies.

2) Compare and contrast that man with a typical suburban man of today. Explain the differences and similarities.

3) The story is set in the South. Would the men have differed from men from similar suburbs in the North? If so, describe what those differences would be.

Essay Topic 2

The story the men tell the authorities later is crucial to their not being arrested. Describe the story they originally came up with to explain Drew's disappearance and why they decide that story needs changing. Tell what happens that necessitates their changing that story and how this adds to conflict in the novel. What does Ed do after he realizes the story won't hold up? When Ed goes home, does he believe the truth will remain buried forever? Explain your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Which event do you think is the one single event that reveals the theme of the story? There are several possibilities, but you are only allowed to choose one. Tell why you think the event you choose is the single most revealing event. Tell how the story changes if that event is eliminated.

(see the answer keys)

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