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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. In what branch of the military is the woman the narrator dances with at the tavern in Story 8?

2. Around 3:30am, a guy with a _______ in his ________ comes into the hospital in Story 6.

3. Story 9 opens with the narrator saying he was after a ________ who was always in the company of a boy.

4. Who says in Story 8, "In Warsaw, my city, we drive in the park after twelve in the night, but the rules are saying no, you must not go to the park after this time, 12pm middle-night"?

5. What embarrassing moment does the narrator of Story 9 remember happening to him at the library?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly describe the "second man" in Story 8.

2. What does the final lines in Story 7 reveal about the narrator's view of Michelle's abortion?

3. Discuss the relationship between John Smith and Michelle.

4. How does Bill define him? What is his perspective on the world? Explain.

5. Who is the only female in Story 7 that is given a name? Why is she the only one the narrator names?

6. What happens when the narrator goes to visit a pair of friends in Story 8?

7. Explain how the relationship between the Story 8 narrator and military wife at the bar reinforces the theme of the tension between desperation and compassion.

8. Discuss the relevance of the baby rabbits to Story 6.

9. In what way is the large horse pill the narrator receives in Story 9 a prize for the narrator?

10. Briefly discuss the three train rides the narrator recalls in Story 7.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze, discuss, and explain the significance the following quote found in Story 1: "I knew every raindrop by its name. I sensed everything before it happened. I knew a certain Oldsmobile would stop for me even before it slowed, and by the sweet voices of the family inside it I knew we'd have an accident in the storm. I didn't care. They said they'd take me all the way."

Essay Topic 2

Present arguments for and against Jesus' Son's relevance for a person around the same age as the narrator living in 1973.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the narrator's relationships with the different women in the book. How is each relationship similar and how are they different?

(see the answer keys)

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