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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 does Eccles call Harry after the latter suggests he is on a quest?

2. What television show do Janis and Harry watch?

3. From what television show does Rabbit admit stealing his religious analogy about the tree and the waterfall?

4. About how old was Mrs. Smith's son when he was killed in World War II?

5. What was Janis' maiden name?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Harry fear he has killed a second child while speaking to Ruth?

2. What events lead to Harry's giving up his southward trek?

3. How does Ruth respond to Harry's decision to join his wife in the hospital?

4. How is Janice's attitude toward Rabbit conflicted at this point?

5. How has Nelson dealt with Harry's absence, according to Janice?

6. What non-Christian statement does Mrs. Smith regret making?

7. How is Harry and Lucy's first meeting dangerous?

8. Why does Janice slap Nelson?

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

10. How does the narration of this section change as Janice gets more drunk?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Updike spends much time creating the world of the novel with evocative descriptions of Mt. Judge and Brewer. This area of Pennsylvania is as much a character of the novel as any person. Write an essay about the setting of the novel. How does Harry Angstrom react to it? What does he feel about it? Does anyone in the novel every leave the area? How many people express any desire to do so?

Essay Topic 2

John Updike - like Charles Dickens - makes use of evocative names to project character in this novel. Write an essay about three of these names. How do they reflect the essential personality of the person they denote? What does the reader expect with he or she reads these names?

Part 1) Harry Angstrom (strom means storm in German)

Part 2) Marty Tothero (tother means "the other" in Middle English)

Part 3) Jack Eccles

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay about Janice Angstrom's inner struggle with her own self-image. How does her relationship with Harry affect the way in which she views herself? In what way do her children serve as surrogates for her husband? Why does she turn to alcohol so often to cope with life? Explore these questions as you chart her character's arc.

(see the answer keys)

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