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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 Jack Boughton call John?

2. What is the shape of the weather vane on the steeple of John's church?

3. What does the pathway in the abolitionist town become?

4. What does John say is the strangest thing about "this life, about being in ministry"?

5. How did John's first wife die?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does John learn about his grandfather and his encounter with a Union soldier?

2. How does John describe himself as a younger man?

3. What are John's feelings and descriptions of baptism?

4. What are some of John's comments on water?

5. What are John's thoughts upon hearing a waltz on the radio?

6. According to John, what are some of the strangest things about being in the ministry?

7. What three things does seeing Jack playing catch with John's son remind him of?

8. Briefly recount the story John's grandfather and his friends used to tell about the citizens of a little abolitionist town.

9. How does John view Jack Boughton prior to his coming?

10. Describe the preaching John's grandfather did after coming back from the war, and how it affected his listeners.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

John is a pastor, as was his father and grandfather before him. The pastorate is obviously linked to the church, and more often than not, the church is identified with a building. Discuss how the church building is a metaphor of the limitations placed on the three generations of Ames men, and how the aging church building in the book is tied to the state we find John in.

Essay Topic 2

In the first section of the book, pages 1 - 8, discuss what expositional elements emerge. Identify and describe the thematic and narrative foundations found in this section and how these themes are carried through the rest of the novel. Select and describe what you think is the central theme of the book.

Essay Topic 3

It is conceivable that Jack Boughton and John's wife Lila have common traits. While John's descriptions of Lila are admittedly sketchy, discuss any parallels between these two characters, but also any significant differences.

(see the answer keys)

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