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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 Hugh's new baseball nickname that is given to him while pitching for the Tugboats?

3. What statement does Elder Joon claim God says to him?

4. What causes Everett to give up his baseball dream?

5. What Major League team does Hugh get the chance to pitch a few games for during his tenure with the Tugboats?

Short Essay Questions

1. What horrible event in Linda's past makes her afraid to live alone after Irwin leaves for the army?

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

3. How is Everett's attitude in regards to his imprisonment?

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

5. What does Everett witness that causes his epiphany and prompts him to pack up everything and return to his family in Camas?

6. What is the one positive thing that Irwin writes to Bet about during his first week in Vietnam?

7. Why does Hugh go to Elder Babcock's house in Book Five?

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

9. What does Kincaid dream about on their journey home in Book Six that startles and scares him?

10. What does Everett send to Irwin as a "homeopathic dose of sanity and antidote to Army Brain" in Book Five?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the novel Kincaid makes this statement about Hugh, "Papa didn't cures: his whole art is control." Explain what Kincaid meant by this statement and how it coincides with the character of Hugh in the novel. Do you believe it is an accurate statement? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel Laura and Everett's relationship changes dramatically several times. Using textual examples describe how the shifts in their relationship resonate with the themes of love, judgment, and redemption.

Essay Topic 3

In The Brothers K, Duncan utilizes many popular historical baseball figures as characters and anecdotes throughout the novel. Using at least three examples of these figures from the text, discuss how the inclusion of these characters affects the plot and directs the themes of the novel.

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