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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 following does Tom NOT call attention to during his formative years?

2. Which of the following events does NOT transpire when Tom visits Savannah's apartment?

3. Tom is correct in guessing that ______________.

4. Tom describes his father as a ________.

5. What is Dr. Lowenstein's reaction to Tom telling the story about Todd Newbury?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the topic of Savannah's poetry?

2. How does Tom turn the tables on Bernard?

3. How does Lila react to the news of Tom's actions against Todd?

4. What kind of family does the Prologue portray?

5. How does the phone call contrast with the idyllic opening of Chapter 1?

6. How does the death of Rose Ann reveal the nature of the Wingo parents?

7. Who is the Prince of Tides?

8. How does Tom explain the recording of Savannah's psychotic seizure?

9. Why does Tom suggest that football is a good thing for the unhappy Bernard?

10. What does Luke pray for before his father leaves for Korea?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Located off the coast of South Carolina, Melrose Island is the backdrop for much of Tom's story. Discuss the significance of this primary setting in the novel. What importance does it hold for the various characters in the novel? What larger ideas does Melrose Island represent? Be sure to develop your response with explicit and implicit evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

A major motif throughout the novel is the pattern of hiding. Many of the characters are consciously or unconsciously hiding something about themselves, about their pasts, or about their family. As the novel progresses, each of these characters is given the opportunity to reveal the truth that he or she has been hiding or to conceal it further.

Choose ONE of the following characters and discuss how he or she participates in this motif. What is the character hiding? Is the concealment intentional or accidental? Does the character ever reveal this truth? What are the ramifications of the character's decision to disclose the secret or continue hiding it?

A.) Tom.

B.) Lila.

C.) Henry.

D.) Savannah.

E.) Bernard.

F.) Susan.

G.) Luke.

Essay Topic 3

Tom says that growing up as a Wingo taught him to survive. Savannah tends to disagree. Of the three Wingo children, which emerges the strongest? Whose character and psyche survive the trials and traumas of this dysfunctional family? Support your position with clear and logical evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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