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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. Where do they first find cancer in Hugh?

2. What is the typical sentence for draft dodgers at the time of Everett's sentencing?

3. Who opens their own post office box for a private correspondence with Everett?

4. According to Kincaid, what event signals the real beginning of the Sixties?

5. What event causes Irwin to feel as though his heart died in Chapter 3 of Book Five?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Everett think Myshkin is a prodigy in literature and art?

2. What reason does Peter give Laura for taking a job at the mill in Chapter 5?

3. Why is Everett so suited to activism?

4. When Everett receives Natasha's letter proclaiming her love, how does he respond?

5. What position does Ty Daniels and the rest of the Portland Tug team take towards Hugh when he throws his last wild pitch and leaves the team?

6. What secret about Linda does Bet reveal to Kincaid in Book Five?

7. How does Natasha respond to Everett's public debate with Dr. Gurtzner?

8. What secret does Bet confide to Everett in her first letter in Book Six?

9. What piece of pitching advice does Freddy recite at Hugh's wake?

10. How does Everett's 211 page letter eventually reach Natasha?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the strongest literary tools employed by Duncan in The Brothers K is the use of paradox and irony. Give examples of where Duncan has employed verbal or situational irony and discuss in detail how this use of irony has furthered the plot, developed characters, or strengthened a theme.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout The Brothers K, Peter and Everett specifically go through a growth and maturing process due to the experiences they undergo. Using at least two specific examples from the text, discuss how Duncan illustrates this growth and maturing process and how it is central to the overarching theme of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the dramatic structure of The Brothers K. Use textual evidence to designate the expository, rising action, the climax, falling action, and denouement.

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