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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. What class does Miller want to take in high school that he is not eligible for?

2. Initially, Miller assumes that work is God's punishment of people. Why?

3. Miller believes that young men should do what in order to make decisions?

4. Why is Miller not allowed to take this class in high school?

5. Why does Miller date girls?

Short Essay Questions

1. What event changes Miller's attitude about his ability to be a good student in high school?

2. According to Miller, what does saying no to sex have in common with protecting the value of the American dollar?

3. Miller learns the secret to a successful love relationship from a married friend. According this married friend, what is this secret and what does it look like?

4. In Chapter 8, Miller states that young men without fathers as role models are more likely to experience negative consequences in life. What evidence does Miller provide to support this statement?

5. Chapter 7 is the last chapter in which Miller talks extensively about his mother. How does his thinking about his mother change from the beginning of this book to this chapter?

6. In Chapter 11, Miller uses an example from a movie about a woman who does not return proper change for a purchase. This story illustrates an unusual way to describe sin. What is this?

7. Chapter 11 is short and Miller learns some very valuable life lessons. What is different about this chapter?

8. Many people, including the famous Dr. Alfred Kinsey, have researched sex. What have we learned from these sex researchers?

9. As an adult, Miller often found himself having difficulty fitting in with the men in his church and life, particularly in his Bible study class. What did he think the problem was?

10. Miller assumes that humans have to work because God is punishing the sinful nature of humanity. MacMurray disagrees. How does MacMurray explain humanity's need to work?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Miller's mother dies without telling him who his father is. There are many reasons why women would chose not to tell their children about how they were conceived or who their fathers were. Identify and discuss the reasons Miller's mother may have decided not to tell him who his father is. Discuss potential impact each reason may have had on Miller.

Essay Topic 2

In Chapter 6, Miller specifically addresses authority and love. He uses authority in a very positive manner. He goes so far in Chapter 5 and in Chapter 6 to suggest that submission to authority is crucial to one's faith journey and for men raised without fathers. How do you define authority? Do you agree with Miller's assertion that authority is positive and one should submit to it in order to understand father-son love or to complete your faith journey?

Essay Topic 3

Most books have many characters. Memoirs, in particular, are often very focused on a person and his/her family. Who were the primary characters in this book? What techniques did the author present these characters to the reader? What do you know about these characters? What do you believe should have been shared with the reader that was not? Do the characters change across the book? If yes, how? What are the strengths of the way in the primary characters were presented? The limitations? How did you respond to these characters as the book developed.

(see the answer keys)

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