American Pastoral Test | Mid-Book Test - Hard

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Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following things does the narrator not say Swede's athletic talent obligated him to be?

2. What is the name of Merry's hometown?

3. What is Swede's daughter's name?

4. What does an article about Merry say about her that Swede hates?

5. What does Rita tell Swede that she needs to get of Merry's during their first meeting?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Merry begin doing in New York as a teenager?

2. How is Merry's bombing in her hometown at the end of Chapter 3 described?

3. Describe Nathan's interaction with his old girlfriend Joy at his class reunion.

4. What does Nathan decide he will do to complete his story on Swede in Chapter 3?

5. What does Rita tell Swede that Merry says about him and her mother?

6. What reason does Nathan give Jerry for coming to the reunion?

7. Swede reads about bombs over five years after Rita's visit that remind him of Merry. How are they described?

8. What does Swede remember about when Merry watched monks on TV?

9. What does Jerry tell Nathan that his brother Swede had in spite of being a big success in Chapter 3?

10. What does Nathan say his working from home saves him from when talking with Jerry at the class reunion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of tone. What details is the author able to introduce about the characters by using varying tones in one chapter?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Jerry and Swede. What is significant about the personality and moral differences in these two characters?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the portrayal of the structure of society in the book. What might the author be saying about social stereotypes based on his portrayal of Swede and his friends?

(see the answer keys)

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