View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the funeral director give to Bruce before he leaves?

2. Who taught Bruce to play tennis?

3. Why does Bruce's family have to move every few months?

4. What else does the funeral director give to Bruce before he leaves?

5. What was a taboo subject when Bruce was a teenager?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolism of the cabbage that Bruce steals?

2. Describe the situation in which Bruce touches a girl's breast for the first time.

3. What does Bruce learn about the phone number given to him by the funeral director?

4. What does Bruce think about as he eats dinner in the hotel?

5. What is the premise of RECAPITULATION?

6. What prompts Bruce to recall a time he worked as a busboy at a restaurant on a lake.

7. How does the episode of Bruce touching the girl's breast show what a simple time he lived in?

8. What happened after Bruce finally made it into Nola's room?

9. Why does Bruce hate his father for his own sake?

10. What prompts Bruce to think of Jack Bailey and what does he recall regarding Jack being a cad with women?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Stegner uses beautifully descriptive language in the book to help his readers see his world from his perspective. Without referring to the book, describe Salt Lake City using only your recall of Stegner's descriptions. How do you visualize the city of Salt Lake City now that you have read Stegner's RECAPITULATION?

Essay Topic 2

Memories take on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 3

The author begins the story in the present day and tells the story through a series of flashbacks. Why did he choose to tell his story this way? In what way is a flashback technique more interesting for a reader? In what ways is it more complicated?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 939 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample