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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. How does Bert Anderson disappoint Henny?

2. How has the trip changed Sam?

3. How does Sam anger Colonel Willets?

4. How does Henny leave her argument with Bert Anderson?

5. Sam warns Louie about ________.

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the children's reaction to the marlin Sam brings home.

2. What is uncommon about Cathleen's eighteenth birthday?

3. Describe Saul Pilgrim's visit in June.

4. What leads up to Henny's death?

5. What is it that upsets Sam during his homecoming celebration?

6. Describe the reading of David Collyer's will.

7. Describe Henny's fight with Louie.

8. How has the relationship between Sam and Henny changed by the time of Cathleen's eighteenth birthday?

9. How does Sam react to the birth of a new baby?

10. What does Henny say about the news Jo brings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When he is working in Malaysia, Sam tells his Naden clerk not to address him formally, but to view him as an equal. How does Sam's democratic impulse fare in the book? Is it an advantage or a disadvantage--not only to the characters' lives, but to the reader's experience? Is it a positive trait?

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 3

'The Man Who Loved Children' is in many ways a coming-of-age story about an artist. How does Stead use the coming-of-age story for her purposes, and how does Louie's coming of age as a writer differ from other comings of age?

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This section contains 816 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample