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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 Chapter 6, which representative from the Cordon meets Journeyman on the road?

2. Who accompanies Todbaum as he rides into Tinderwick?

3. Why does Maddy get angry with Journeyman a few months after The Arrest?

4. In Chapter 23, what kind of person does Journeyman think of himself as?

5. What birds had lately thrived in Tinderwick?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Part II, how did Maddy feel about what happened between her and Todbaum at the Starlet apartments all those years past?

2. Why do the people of Tinderwick gather around Todbaum's machine, apart from the free coffee he distributes?

3. What is Astur's background?

4. How did Journeyman come to be a part of the community in Tinderwick?

5. What does the warning sign in the section Frost Heaves say, and what association does the narrator make with the sign?

6. What kind of relationship did Journeyman and Todbaum have during the period when they lived together at the Starlet apartments?

7. Why do the residents of Tinderwick mostly call Journeyman "Sandy"?

8. What is the Tinderwick relationship with the Cordon?

9. What immediate problems does Todbaum cause by arriving in the Blue Streak?

10. What is Maddy an expert in?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When do the residents of Tinderwick seem to turn away - many of them in disgust - from Todbaum and from the Blue Streak, and why do you think they behave this way? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing Lethem's treatment of the themes of aggression, bullying, and violence, especially as they relate to the relationship between the Cordon and the community of Tinderwick.

Essay Topic 3

Why are Tinderwick's residents so eager to listen to and gather around Todbaum and the Blue Streak when Todbaum first gets to town? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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