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. Why does Lucas never leave Ashby?

2. What personal question does Lucas ask Zoe in Chapter 12?

3. Who does Lucas visit just after he gets rid of the backpack in Chapter 16?

4. What did Zoe's husband once do to himself?

5. What is the last thing Lucas's mother says to him?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Lucas drops the gun into the river, he tells the river, "You owe me one." What does he mean?

2. How does Lucas's mother react when he tells her he is taking Roy to an NA meeting, and what does her reaction reveal about her?

3. How does Roy's first NA meeting go?

4. What became of Zoe and her cabin?

5. Why is Lucas's mother so angry with him the day after the date?

6. According to Connor, why is it helpful to talk with Zoe?

7. What is Lucas's mother doing when they get home from NA and why is it significant?

8. What did Lucas know and not know about Zoe?

9. What does Zoe say at the meeting?

10. How does Roy react to Joe's offer to help?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss in an essay what the novel argues about the importance of second chances.

Essay Topic 2

In an essay, consider what the Vietnam War has to do with one or more of the novel's major themes.

Essay Topic 3

Most of the novel is set in the summer of 1969, but the final chapter takes place 50 years later. In an essay, consider how this affects the novel's central messages.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,167 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample