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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 did Chick's mother often slip to Chick whenever she dropped him off somewhere?

2. What meal that Posey makes does Len Benetto often complain she cannot make properly?

3. What did Chick do about the peeping tom?

4. What word does Posey show Chick carved into the tree?

5. What sport does the narrator claim the main character once played?

Short Essay Questions

1. What offends Chick when a man calls his mother a divorcee?

2. What is Posey's reaction to Chick's insistence that her presence in the house is impossible?

3. What impact does the setting have on Chick's family after the divorce?

4. Why does the narrator say the story belongs to Chick Benetto?

5. When is the first time Chick's mother leaves him a special note?

6. What happens on the way to Chick's hometown?

7. What was Posey's profession at the time of the divorce?

8. What draws Chick's attention to the table top in his mother's kitchen as his mother treats his wounds?

9. Why does Chick return to his family home? What does he find there?

10. What game does the narrator learn that Chick Benetto once played as a professional player?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Whose voice does Chick hear on the phone at Rose's? When does Chick hear the voice again? Why does Chick believe he is the only one hearing the voice? Where is the voice coming from? Who does the voice belong to? What does this voice represent to Chick? What does Chick do about this voice?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following in detail, citing examples from the novel:

1) Point of view

2) The setting

3) Language and meaning

4) The structure, including the use of lists and newspaper announcements throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss father-daughter relationships. How is Chick's relationship with his daughter like his own relationship with his father? How is Chick's relationship with his daughter like his relationship with his mother? Why is Chick's relationship with his daughter important to the plot of the novel? Who is Chick's daughter? How is Chick's sister's relationship with their mother different from Chick's relationship with their mother? Is this difference important to the developing plot? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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