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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 quarter of the game does Harry completely forget about the crowd?

2. How many points does Harry say he scored in his first game under Tothero?

3. Where does Rabbit brag about having eaten Chinese food?

4. To what does Mrs. Smith twice compare the Bianchi that she and her husband brought in from New York?

5. As he drives, what does Rabbit recall Tothero convincing him to do more often on the court?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Joyce Eccles afraid?

2. Why is Harry annoyed by his conversation with the farmer at the service station?

3. Explain the significance of the title of the novel, particularly regarding the final passages.

4. What is Mrs. Smith's attitude regarding her garden?

5. Describe Tothero's living arrangements.

6. How does Harry interact with Mrs. Springer after coming home?

7. How does Harry find out that his child has died?

8. Describe Harry Angstrom.

9. How does Ruth make fun of Harry regarding Chinese food?

10. What factors cause Harry to storm out of Club Castanet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Updike's novel is the story of a man unable to commit to any way of life for fear that a better option exists somewhere else. Write an essay about this fear, focusing on three of Rabbit's frantic flights:

Part 1) At the beginning of the novel, Rabbit abruptly abandons his family to drive south. What is he hoping to find on this journey? Why does it fail? How does Rabbit's interaction with a gas station attendant portend this failure?

Part 2) Why does Rabbit decide to leave Ruth? What does he think he leaves behind with this abandonment? What does he leave behind in reality?

Part 3) The final pages of Rabbit, Run contain a frantic flight in all directions for the protagonist. What is he trying to escape? How do neither of his two homes contain this goal? Where is Rabbit left at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Harry Angstrom hold three jobs over the course of Rabbit, Run. Write an essay in three parts, examining these different jobs and what they say about his attitude toward work in general. Does he believe he can do better than these jobs? Which does he like best? What bothers him about he jobs he dislikes?

Part 1) Magipeel Demonstrator

Part 2) Mrs Smith's gardener

Part 3) Car salesman

Essay Topic 3

Harry Angstrom is a classic American man-child, a grown figure who has not been able to develop emotionally past his adolescence. Write an essay about the stunted development of Harry, focusing on his relationship to those older than him and to women. Who does he look to for guidance, and how does he expect it to be given? What is his attitude toward sex and fidelity?

(see the answer keys)

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