Illustration of two pairs of legs standing on the branch of a large tree

A Separate Peace

by John Knowles

Start Free Trial

A Separate Peace Comprehensive Test

by Erin Graham

  • Released February 12, 2019
  • subjects
  • 0 pages
Purchase a Subscription

Grade Levels

Grade 10

Excerpt

TRUE-FALSE Directions: If the statement is true, mark it T; if false, mark it F. 1 point each

  • The pathetic fallacy is a literary device in which the weather reflects the emotions of the characters.
  • The architecture at Devon, ornate on the outside, stern and forbidding within, reflects the duality of Gene’s personality—pleasant and likable on the surface, but holding dark secrets within himself.
  • Gene never tells Finny the truth about the "accident."
  • At the beach, Finny goes swimming, almost a sort of baptism, but Gene refuses and surrenders to hatred and jealousy.
  • Leper is a popular, respected member of the upper class.
  • The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session is Finny’s idea, but he includes Gene and Leper as charter members.
  • After the accident, Gene’s friendship with Finny begins to fade.
  • Leper is not able to cope with life in the army.
  • The novel actually "ends at the beginning" because it is told in a flashback style of narrative.
  • After Finny’s death, the last vestige of peacefulness vanishes and army units appear.

MULTIPLE CHOICE Directions: Choose the best answer. 1 point each.

  • The narrator describes the tree when he visits it years later as (a) an old friend (b) still a "grotesque demon" (c) a shrunken giant.
  • Gene puts on Finny’s clothes to (a) become Finny (b) celebrate the bombing of Central Europe (c) play a trick on him.
  • Finny reacts to Gene’s first visit to the infirmary after the investigation (a) with relief (b) passively (c) with anger.
  • Gene realizes Finny is not jealous of his studies (a) when they go to the beach (b) several years later (c) before the accident.
  • Brinker resigns from the presidency of the Golden Fleece Debating Society because (a) it is too "civilian" (b) he loses a debate (c) he has a fight with the sponsor.
  • The inscription over the door to the "court room" is ironic because it (a) says that here boys come to be turned into men (b) refers to the inner knowledge that Devon boys acquire (c) reminds the boys to be true to their consciences.
  • The narrator fights his war and wins "a separate peace" (a) in France (b) at home (c) at school.
  • "The more things stay the same, the more they change" means (a) there is nothing new under the sun (b) nothing ever remains the way it was (c) Gene finds everything at Devon exactly the way he remembers it.
  • Finny wants to train Gene for the 1944 Olympics (a) to replace himself (b) because he wants to be a coach (c) for patriotism.
  • Gene’s role in World War II is as (a) an air force pilot (b) a noncombatant (c) a foot soldier.
  • The investigation is held in (a) an assembly room (b) Brinker’s room (c) the president’s office.
  • At Finny’s funeral (a) Gene breaks down and weeps bitterly (b) the minister calls Finny a war victim in his own way (c) Gene feels as if he is burying himself.
  • Finny is linked to (a) reality (b) peace (c) winter.

SHORT ANSWER Directions: Choose three of the following questions to answer. Use the back if you need more room. 5 points each.

  • Explain the significance of the tree as a symbol.
  • Analyze the title of the novel. In what way does Gene achieve “a separate peace”?
  • Choose one character from the novel, and explain how he is affected by WWII. Identify at least three ways he is impacted.
  • Explain the reference to the Maginot Line in the last paragraph. How does this connect to the motif of “the enemy within”?

About

A cumulative test for the novel A Separate Peace that includes character matching, true/false, multiple choice, and short answer questions.