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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 has happened to Nick in the Memoir of Chapter 6?

2. To where does Nick walk to visit his friend, Bill?

3. What does Bugs offer to Nick?

4. Why does Dr. Adams think Boulton picked a fight with him?

5. Who is Bugs?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Hemingway use dialogue to indicate that the couple's marriage is probably doomed?

2. Explain why the mountain is a metaphor in the story "Cross-Country Snow" in Chapter 12.

3. Explain the irony of the Memoir in Chapter 11.

4. What are the circumstances of the "On the Quai at Smyrna" story?

5. Why does Hemingway insert the sullen waitress at the inn?

6. Besides death and the fear of it, what is another important theme in the book which is evident in the Memoir for Chapter 2?

7. Explain the subject for "Big Two-Hearted River: Part I," the story for Chapter 14.

8. Why did the narrator make the point about the robbers being Hungarian--what is the irony in doing that?

9. Even though Nick initiated the break up with Marjorie, he is still overcome with emotion. How does Hemingway indicate this to the reader?

10. What is the significance of "The Three-Day Blow," the story's title?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

War is a recurring theme in the Memoirs and in some of the Stories in the book. How are killing and war perceived by the young men when it seems like sport at first? How do the perceptions change when they are seriously wounded, as Nick is? How do they manage the aftermath of war and the personal toll it takes on them?

Essay Topic 2

Most of Hemingway's characters has at least a minor flaw but Mr. Elliot in Chapter 9 seems especially handicapped despite all his attempts to live a conventional life. What internal and external struggles does Mr. Elliot have? What assaults on his male pride does he endure? What about his sense of professional competency? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Hemingway is a master at character study in the scene in Chapter 3 when Nick and Marjorie break up. What body language does Hemingway give the characters? What does their dialogue reveal--or not--about how they are feeling?

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