A STEP BEYOND

TESTS AND ANSWERS

TEST 2

_____ 1. Frederic and Catherine escape the war zone with the help of

A. the priest
B. Simmons, the singer
C. Emilio, the barman

_____ 2. Catherine Barkley

A. had been engaged to a soldier who was killed in the Somme
B. fell in love with Frederic when he was hospitalized in Milan
C. evolves as a person of independent mind and spirit

_____ 3. Helen Ferguson

A. approves of Catherine's love affair
B. is critical of the position Catherine has allowed herself to fall into
C. runs off with Rinaldi

_____ 4. The character who addresses Frederic as "baby" is

A. Catherine
B. Valentini
C. Rinaldi

_____ 5. Hemingway depicts war as

A. bringing out the best qualities in men
B. impersonal, destructive and incomprehensible
C. a highly organized scenario played by generals and military leaders

_____ 6. Of the three companions who started with Frederic from Caporetto, the one that remains is

A. Piani
B. Aymo
C. Bonello

_____ 7. To escape to Switzerland, Frederic

A. rows the entire night
B. engages a captain of a fishing boat to cross him to safety
C. hides in a freight car

_____ 8. On learning that Frederic has money, the Swiss lieutenant

A. decides to steal it
B. acts friendly and helpful
C. blackmails him with the threat of returning him to the war zone

_____ 9. Frederic mentions his family in

A. comparing Catherine to his mother
B. explaining that the strictness of his father led to his volunteering for the army
C. connection with the sight draft for money

_____ 10. By keeping most of the minor characters anonymous, Hemingway is suggesting that

A. one should not be personally involved with everyone else's problems
B. each person must face his destiny alone
C. all one's friends are likely to desert at the critical moment

11. Hemingway himself wrote the following statement about writing.

All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.

By his own definition, was he a "writer" in A Farewell to Arms?

12. Many novels are great because they have one or more scenes that seem to develop lives of their own. Years after we read the book we can still remember such scenes. If, in your estimation, Farewell is such a novel, select a memorable scene and explain what makes it unforgettable.

13. Hemingway chose his titles with care. Unfortunately, many readers pay little attention to titles. Comment on the possible meanings and appropriateness of his title, A Farewell to Arms.

14. Answer the following question in essay form: How do you know that Hemingway wasn't merely writing a gripping love story with a sad ending?

15. Discuss Hemingway's writing style. What are its particular characteristics? Do they contribute to the book's appeal?

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