1. education
2. english as a second language

SAMPLE
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Table of Contents
Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Why Use a Skills-Based Approach .......................................................................................... .3
How to Use this Manual............................................................................................................ 4
Characters ..................................................................................................................................... .5
Chapter 1 (pp. 9–20) ....................................................................................................................... 9
Vocabulary Words .................................................................................................................. 11
Discussion Topics .................................................................................................................. 11
Vocabulary Activities ............................................................................................................. .13
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ........................................................................................ 20
Quizzes for Chapter 1............................................................................................................. 26
Answer Key for Quizzes ........................................................................................................ 29
Chapter 2 (pp. 21–32) ................................................................................................................... 31
Vocabulary Words .................................................................................................................. 33
Discussion Topics .................................................................................................................. 33
Vocabulary Activities ............................................................................................................. 35
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ........................................................................................ 42
Quizzes for Chapter 2............................................................................................................. 49
Answer Key for Quizzes ........................................................................................................ 51
Chapter 3 (pp. 33–48) ................................................................................................................... 53
Vocabulary Words .................................................................................................................. 55
Discussion Topics ................................................................................................................. .55
Vocabulary Activities .............................................................................................................. 58
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ........................................................................................ 63
Quizzes for Chapter 3............................................................................................................. 72
Answer Key for Quizzes ......................................................................................................... 74
Chapter 4 (pp. 49–60) ................................................................................................................... 77
Vocabulary Words .................................................................................................................. 79
Discussion Topics .................................................................................................................. 79
Vocabulary Activities .............................................................................................................. 81
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ........................................................................................ 89
Quizzes for Chapter 4............................................................................................................. 94
Answer Key for Quizzes ......................................................................................................... 96
Chapter 5 (pp. 61–71) ................................................................................................................... 99
Vocabulary Words ................................................................................................................ 101
Discussion Topics................................................................................................................. 101
Vocabulary Activities ............................................................................................................ 103
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ...................................................................................... 110
Quizzes for Chapter 5........................................................................................................... 115
Answer Key for Quizzes ....................................................................................................... 117
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Table of Contents
Chapter 12 (pp. 178–194) ........................................................................................................... 253
Vocabulary Words ................................................................................................................ 255
Discussion Topics................................................................................................................. 255
Vocabulary Activities ............................................................................................................ 257
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ...................................................................................... 264
Quizzes for Chapter 12......................................................................................................... 270
Answer Key for Quizzes ....................................................................................................... 272
Chapter 13 (pp. 195–204) ........................................................................................................... 275
Vocabulary Words ................................................................................................................ 277
Discussion Topics................................................................................................................. 277
Vocabulary Activities ............................................................................................................ 279
Answer Key for Discussion Topics ...................................................................................... 284
Quizzes for Chapter 13......................................................................................................... 292
Answer Key for Quizzes ....................................................................................................... 294
Final Assessment....................................................................................................................... 297
Multiple Choice Questions .................................................................................................... 299
Answer Key for Multiple Choice Questions........................................................................... 308
Short Answer Questions ....................................................................................................... 318
Answer Key for Short Answer Questions.............................................................................. 319
Optional Essay Questions ................................................................................................... 320
Answer Key for Essay Questions ......................................................................................... 321
Appendices................................................................................................................................. 325
Appendix I: General Rubric for Scoring the Essay Questions............................................. 327
Appendix II: General Rubric for Scoring the Short Answer Questions................................. 328
Appendix III: Using the Vocabulary Note Cards.................................................................... 329
Appendix IV: Suggested Researches ................................................................................... 330
References.................................................................................................................................. 333
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Overview
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A Separate Peace
A Skills-Based Approach to Teaching the Novel
Why Use a Skills-Based Approach?
In order to be successful in today’s high school literature classrooms, students must
demonstrate that they are able to respond to literature on a critical level. They must develop
and practice the skills that will allow them to go beyond the literal level questions that deal only
with plot and definitions. Students must be able to demonstrate an understanding of how the
author uses literary elements and techniques to craft a story. They must also be able to
develop and defend their own interpretations of text and make thoughtful judgments about
what they have read. The ability to connect thematic elements to personal experience,
evaluate an author’s point of view or purpose for writing, and recognize organizational
techniques the author might be using to convey an attitude, idea, or opinion are important skills
for students to use when reading critically. Additionally, students must develop sensitivity for
language and be able to explore how authors use language to persuade, entertain, or
emotionally affect readers. Students must then be able to communicate this deeper
understanding of what they have read through effective writing that is focused, logical, and
well-organized.
Comprehending text and responding to literature on a critical level requires students to develop
an extensive vocabulary. Students need techniques for determining the meanings of the new
words that they encounter in challenging text. In addition to being able to use context to
determine the denotative and connotative meanings of words, phrases, technical vocabulary
and figurative language, students should also be able to apply knowledge of prefixes, suffixes,
root words, and word etymologies to determine meanings. The ability to use dictionaries and
thesauruses to determine exact meanings and usage is important, as is a basic knowledge of
syntax.
In order for students to be able to analyze text on a critical level, they must practice applying
critical reading and thinking skills to everything they read in the classroom—even novels.
Student-teacher interactions that embrace these skills should be an integral and not a
superficial part of classroom discussions about literature that is read. This guide is designed for
teachers who want to provide that interaction for their students. It allows teachers to use this
novel to teach and assess the skills that will lead their students to read, comprehend, and write
with a critical eye. In this guide there are three basic types of discussion questions: literal level
questions that deal with summary, questions that promote critical thinking, and questions that
explore how literary elements are used to achieve meaning. The specific skill that each
question addresses is identified in the answer key.
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A Separate Peace
A Skills-Based Approach to Teaching the Novel
How to Use this Manual
This guide has been designed to be used in conjunction with the First Scribner trade
paperback 2003 edition of A Separate Peace by John Knowles. All page and line references
are based upon that edition. For purposes of discussion and assessment, a set of vocabulary
words, discussion questions, a short quiz, and suggestions for studying the vocabulary has
been developed for each of the thirteen chapters. The answer keys for the discussion
questions contain suggested interpretations that are meant to be a stimulus for discussion
between students and teachers. They are not meant to be definitive interpretations. The
answer keys also provide the skills that each question addresses. The questions are designed
to promote discussions, either in teacher-directed class discussions, or for small-group student
discussions, which may be shared with the class at a later time. The quiz questions correlate
with the discussion questions. The answer keys for the quiz questions contain a listing of the
skills they are measuring.
In addition to providing suggestions for discussing text, this guide provides suggestions for
teaching vocabulary in context. Each vocabulary word has corresponding suggestions for
teaching skill development. These suggestions are found in the answer key for the vocabulary.
Teachers need not teach all the vocabulary. They may select the words and/or skills from the
list that will help them meet the needs of their students. The teaching suggestions that
accompany the vocabulary words in the vocabulary answer keys suggest that the students put
the vocabulary words and their synonyms on note cards. The appendix contains suggestions
for using the note cards for different kinds of word study. In order to attain a more authentic
assessment and to promote an internalization of specific vocabulary, it is suggested that the
vocabulary activities be used for assessment in lieu of an objective vocabulary test.
Assessment of vocabulary and comprehension skills occurs throughout this guide. The short
quizzes that occur at the end of each chapter contain three short answer and five multiple
choice questions. Suggested responses for the short answer questions are provided in the
answer key and a general rubric for assessing the quality of the written response is provided in
the appendix. Two final unit assessments are also provided: a multiple-choice test and an
alternate essay examination. The answer key for the essay questions provides suggested
responses for the essays, while the answer key for the multiple-choice test provides the list of
skills that are being measured. A general rubric for assessing the quality of student essay
responses is found in the appendix.
As Carol Jago states in her book, Classics in the Classroom, Designing Accessible Literature
Lessons, “The study of literature requires a subtle interplay of classroom tasks that scaffold
difficult texts (p. 7).” This guide is designed to stimulate that interplay between students and
teachers, providing students with chances to read critically and providing teachers with
activities for teaching and assessing specific skills that will enable their students to read, think,
and write about A Separate Peace on a critical level.
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Chapter 1
pp. 9~20
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_________________________________________
Student Name
_______________________
Date
A Separate Peace
Chapter 1 (pp. 9–20)
Vocabulary Words
nondescript (p. 10)
foyer (p. 11)
convalescence (p. 11)
specters (p. 12)
contentious (p. 12)
harmony (p. 12)
inanimate (p. 17)
seigneurs (p. 18)
deigning (p. 19)
collaborator (p. 19)
Discussion Topics
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1.
How many years does the speaker say it has been since he was a student at the Devon
School?
2.
On page 10, the speaker states that he could feel “fear’s echo” along with “uncontrollable
joy which had been its accompaniment and opposite face.” What does the speaker mean?
3.
Read the first paragraph on page 12 that begins, “Devon is sometimes considered the
most beautiful…” Which word or words from the paragraph help the reader to understand
the meaning of the word contentious?
4.
On page 12, the speaker states, “Everything at Devon slowly changed and slowly
harmonized with what had gone before. So it was logical to hope that since the buildings
and the Deans and the curriculum could achieve this, I could achieve, perhaps
unknowingly already had achieved, this growth and harmony myself.” These sentences
help the reader to understand that the speaker wants to—
5.
Read the paragraph on page 14 that begins, “Moving through the soaked, coarse grass…
The speaker compares the tree to old men in order to convey his realization that—
6.
What are the two “fearful sites” that the speaker has come back to the school to see?
7.
Read the paragraph on page 14 that begins, “The tree was not only stripped by the cold
season, it seemed weary from age…” What inferences can the reader draw about why the
speaker is thankful about seeing the tree?
8.
On page 14, when the speaker says, “I was drenched; anybody could see it was time to
come in out of the rain,” he is really saying that he is finally—
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Vocabulary Activities
Chapter 1 (pp. 9–20)
Vocabulary Word
nondescript
It was a raw,
nondescript time of
year…
(p. 10)
Skills
Suggestions for Developing Skills
• Meaning in context
•
• Denotation
•
• Parts of Speech/
•
Sentence Patterns
foyer
In through the swinging
doors…
(p. 11)
• Etymology
•
• Synonyms
•
• Diction/Tone
•
• Meaning in context
•
• Denotation
•
• Parts of Speech/
•
Sentence Patterns
• Etymology
•
• Synonyms
•
• Diction/Tone
•
Ask the students to read the entire paragraph that
contains this sentence. Discuss what the meaning of
the word might be within the context of the paragraph.
Point out the clues inside the text that would support
such a meaning.
Have the class look at the dictionary definition
(denotation) of the word.
Point out that this word is used as an adjective
because it modifies the noun “time.” The word may
also be used as a noun.
Point out that the word nondescript has the Latin
root non plus the root word describere, which means
“to describe.”
Synonyms for the word nondescript as it is used in
sentence include unremarkable, unexceptional,
unmemorable, ordinary, commonplace, and
average. Have students record the word and all of its
synonyms on note cards.
Discuss that the speaker is making it clear that the
time of year was not special in any way, and the day
is not a particularly beautiful day. The description of
the setting is reflecting the narrator’s “self-pitying”
mood.
Ask the students to read the entire paragraph that
contains the word and the preceding paragraph.
Discuss what the meaning of the word might be
within the context of the paragraphs. Point out the
clues inside the text that would support such a
meaning.
Have the class look at the dictionary definition
(denotation) of the word.
Point out that this word is used as a noun because it
is a place.
Point out that the word foyer has the Latin root focus,
which means “fire.”
Synonyms for the word foyer as it is used in the
sentence include entrance hall, hall, hallway,
entrance, entry, and reception area. Have students
record the word and all of its synonyms on note
cards.
Note that the word is a formal way of naming an entry
hall. This might refer to the formality of the building.
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Vocabulary Activities for Chapter 1 (continued)
Vocabulary Word
convalescence
Well, I naturally felt
older…
(p. 11)
specters
I had more money…
(p. 12)
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Skills
Suggestions for Developing Skills
• Meaning in context
•
• Denotation
•
• Parts of Speech/
•
Sentence Patterns
• Etymology
•
• Forms of the word
•
• Synonyms
•
• Diction
•
• Meaning in context
•
• Denotation
•
• Parts of Speech/
•
Sentence Patterns
• Etymology
•
• Forms of the word
• Synonyms
•
•
• Diction/Tone
•
Ask the students to read the entire paragraph that
contains this sentence. Discuss what the meaning of
the word might be within the context of the paragraph.
Point out the clues inside the text that would support
such a meaning.
Have the class look at the dictionary definition
(denotation) of the word and determine which
definition applies to the word as it is used in this
sentence.
Point out that this word is used as a noun in the
sentence.
Point out that the word convalescence has the Latin
root convalescere, which means “to grow strong.”
The word has a verb form convalesce and an
adjective form convalescent.
Synonyms for the word convalescence as it is used
in the sentence include recuperation, recovery,
rehabilitation, and improvement. Have students
record the word and all of its synonyms on note
cards.
Discuss that the speaker is referring to himself as
going through a period of recovery. This recovery
occurred between the present time and the time he
spent as a student in this place. Yet, it is an
“emotional examination” that he conducts to
determine how far his “convalescence had gone.”
Discuss that the speaker seems to be recovering
from an emotional illness of some kind. He has come
back to his school to heal emotionally, possibly by
facing up to things that happened here.
Ask the students to read the entire paragraph that
contains this sentence. Discuss what the meaning of
the word might be within the context of the paragraph.
Point out the clues inside the text that would support
such a meaning.
Have the class look at the dictionary definition
(denotation) of the word and determine which
definition applies to the word as it is being used in this
sentence.
Point out that this word is used as a noun in the
sentence.
Point out that the word specters has the Latin root
spectrum, which means “appearance or apparition.”
The word specters has an adjective form spectral.
Synonyms for the word specters as it is used in the
sentence include ghosts, phantoms, apparitions,
shadows, spirits, and presences. Have students
record the word and all of its synonyms on note
cards.
Discuss that the speaker is making it clear that
something haunted him when he used to go up and
down these stairs. Discuss that the specters are not
ghosts but are memories of something unpleasant
that he cannot forget. Have the students brainstorm
as to what kind of memory might haunt someone for
several years.
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Answer Key
Discussion Topics
Chapter 1 (pp. 9–20)
Discussion Topics
1.
How many years does the speaker say it has been
since he was a student at the Devon School?
Targeted Concepts, Processes, Skills
•
Identify main ideas and their supporting
details
•
Analyze relevance of setting and time frame
to text’s meaning
•
Rely on context to determine meanings of
words
•
Draw inferences such as conclusions,
generalizations, and predictions and support
them from text
•
Understand and analyze figurative language,
specifically similes
•
Identify main ideas and their supporting
details
Fifteen years (p. 9)
2.
On page 10, the speaker states that he could feel
“fear’s echo” along with “uncontrollable joy which had
been its accompaniment and opposite face.” What
does the speaker mean?
The speaker is remembering how he felt when he
was a student at this school fifteen years before. It is
“fear’s echo” because he is only remembering the
fear he had while he was a student; he is not fearful
now. He is also remembering the good times or
“uncontrollable joy” that he had as well.
3.
Read the first paragraph on page 12 that begins,
“Devon is sometimes considered the most
beautiful…” Which word or words from the paragraph
help the reader to understand the meaning of the
word contentious?
“argument might begin again any time”
4.
On page 12, the speaker states, “Everything at
Devon slowly changed and slowly harmonized with
what had gone before. So it was logical to hope that
since the buildings and the Deans and the curriculum
could achieve this, I could achieve, perhaps
unknowingly already had achieved, this growth and
harmony myself.” These sentences help the reader to
understand that the speaker wants to—
find a peaceful reconciliation within himself.
Something happened at Devon that caused a lack of
harmony, a lack of balance within the speaker. The
speaker is trying to restore harmony and balance to
his life
5.
Read the paragraph on page 14 that begins, “Moving
through the soaked, coarse grass…” The speaker
compares the tree to old men in order to convey his
realization that—
his memory of the tree had been distorted and that
the tree was not as tall, isolated, or fear-inspiring as
he had thought
6.
What are the two “fearful sites” that the speaker has
come back to the school to see?
The marble stairs in the foyer of the First Academy
Building (p. 11) and a specific tree that grows by the
river (pp. 13-14)
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_________________________________________
Student Name
_______________________
Date
A Separate Peace
Multiple-Choice Quiz
Chapter 1
1.
The speaker has returned to the school in order to—
A. attend a class reunion
B. see if the school has changed
C. find an internal sense of balance
D. think about several of his old teachers
2.
The speaker is thankful after he sees the tree because he realizes that—
A. the memory of it will no longer haunt him
B. nothing has really changed at the school
C. the tree reminds him of his childhood
D. the tree has survived along with his memories
3.
Finny does not like the speaker’s “West Point stride” because it represents—
A. the army
B. the speaker
C. a necessary evil
D. rules and rule makers
4.
The speaker calls the seniors “draft-bait because after graduation they all expect to—
A. help draft new laws
B. fight in World War II
C. protest against the draft
D. become sailors on a torpedo ship
5.
From the description of Phineas on pages 14–19, the reader can tell that he—
A. does not want to go to West Point
B. wants to contribute to the war effort
C. enjoys resisting authority
D. likes to climb trees
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_________________________________________
Student Name
_______________________
Date
A Separate Peace
Short-Answer Quiz
Chapter 1
1.
When the two boys jump from the tree, how are their jumps different? Explain your answer
and support it with evidence from the selection.
2.
Why does Leper react the way he does when it is his turn to jump from the tree? Support
your answer with evidence from the selection.
3.
What does the speaker mean when he calls himself Finny’s “collaborator”? Support your
answer with evidence from the selection.
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Answer Key
Multiple-Choice Quiz
Chapter 1 (pp. 9–20)
Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
14
Targeted Concepts, Processes, Skills
The speaker has returned to the school in order to—
A. attend a class reunion
B. see if the school has changed
C. find an internal sense of balance 9
D. think about several of his old teachers
•
Draw inferences
•
Reference: p. 12
The speaker is thankful after he sees the tree
because he realizes that—
A. the memory of it will no longer haunt him 9
B. nothing has really changed at the school
C. the tree reminds him of his childhood
D. the tree has survived along with his memories
•
Draw inferences
•
Reference: p. 14
Finny does not like the speaker’s “West Point stride”
because it represents—
A. the army
B. the speaker
C. a necessary evil
D. rules and rule makers 9
•
Understand and analyze literary terms such as
symbolism
•
Reference: p. 19
The speaker calls the seniors “draft-bait because
after graduation they all expect to—
A. help draft new laws
B. fight in World War II 9
C. protest against the draft
D. become sailors on a torpedo ship
•
Connect to historical context
•
Reference: p. 15
From the description of Phineas on pages 14–19, the
reader can tell that he—
A. does not want to go to West Point
B. wants to contribute to the war effort
C. enjoys resisting authority 9
D. likes to climb trees
•
Use elements of text to defend and clarify
responses and interpretations
•
Reference: pp. 14–19
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Answer Key
Short Answer Quiz
Chapter 1 (pp. 9–20)
Questions
1.
2.
3.
Targeted Concepts, Processes, Skills
When the two boys jump from the tree, how are their
jumps different? Explain your answer and support it
with evidence from the selection.
•
Use elements of text to defend, clarify, and
negotiate responses and interpretations
Suggested Response
Finny “smashes” into the water, implying that he is
meeting the experience “head-on” and with a sense of
abandonment. The jump for him is an exciting
adventure, a source of fun. The speaker “crashes”
into the water, implying that he is being propelled into
the experience against his will and with a sense of
foreboding. The speaker does not look at the jump as
being liberating, but, rather, a “stupid” thing that
brings him the sensation of “throwing [his] life away.”
•
Reference: pp. 15–17
Why does Leper react the way he does when it is his
turn to jump from the tree? Support your answer with
evidence from the selection.
•
Use elements of text to defend, clarify, and
negotiate responses and interpretations
Suggested Response
Leper deals with conflict in a different way from his
friends. Leper refuses to deal with what frightens him
in any way. Instead of refusing and excusing the way
his friends do, he simply closes himself away from
whatever it is that has frightened him. He “closes his
mouth as if forever” and becomes “inanimate” or dead
to whatever he fears. Something that is dead can no
longer be hurt or frightened. Leper becomes dead in
the face of conflict, removing himself from having to
deal with it in any way.
•
Reference: pp.17-18
What does the speaker mean when he calls himself
Finny’s “collaborator”? Support your answer with
evidence from the selection
•
Use elements of text to defend, clarify, and
negotiate responses and interpretations
Suggested Response
The speaker is saying that when he follows Finny’s
lead and collaborates with Finny in his schemes, the
speaker feels “trapped” into doing things he normally
would not do. For example, the speaker begins by
using his “West Point stride” to try to get to dinner on
time. Finny, however, makes it clear that he does not
want to follow the rules. He taunts the speaker, telling
him to hurry “or they’ll put you in the guardhouse.”
The speaker now has become Finny’s partner-incrime, his “collaborator,” his sympathizer against the
rules and the rule-makers.
•
Reference: p. 19
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John Knowles’s A Separate Peace: A Skills-Based Approach to Teaching the Novel
___________________________________
Student Name
MASTER
_______________________
Date
A Separate Peace
Final Assessment
Multiple-Choice Questions
1.
The narrator of the novel is returning to the school in order to—
A. see if the school has changed
B. find an internal sense of balance
C. attend a class reunion
D. think about several of his old teachers
2.
The speaker is thankful after he sees the tree because he realizes that—
A. the tree reminds him of his childhood
B. nothing has really changed at the school
C. the memory of it will no longer haunt him
D. the tree has survived along with his memories
3.
The speaker calls the seniors “draft-bait” because after graduation they all expect to—
A. help draft new laws
B. fight in World War II
C. protest against the draft
D. become sailors on a torpedo ship
4.
Finny does not like the speaker’s “West Point stride” because it represents—
A. eagerness to join the army
B. rules and rule makers
C. a necessary evil
D. the speaker’s personality
5.
Mr. Prud’homme is unable to enforce all of the school rules because he—
A. wants to be friends with Finny
B. is concerned with the boys’ health
C. does not know all of the rules
D. does not agree with the rules
6.
In the following sentences, what does the word indulgent mean? “Anyway, they were more
indulgent toward us than at any other time; they snapped at the heels of the seniors,
driving and molding and arming them for the war. They noticed our games tolerantly.”
A. Lenient
B. Unforgiving
C. Passionate
D. Indifferent
© Region 4 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.
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John Knowles’s A Separate Peace: A Skills-Based Approach to Teaching the Novel
Answer Key
Final Assessment–Short-Answer Questions
Short-Answer Questions
1.
Why are memories of Finny important to Gene? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the
selection.
Suggested Response
During their last year at Devon, Gene’s and Finny’s lives become inseparable. To Gene, memories of Finny
are synonymous with memories of himself. Finny’s life is a “flow of simple, unregulated friendliness” and is the
“essence of this careless peace.” Gene’s passive acceptance of rules and life is only altered by Finny’s
influence. Gene claims that it is “quite a compliment...to have such a person choose me for his best friend.”
The two boys are more than just best friends or roommates. After Finny’s second accident, Gene concludes,
“Phineas had thought of me as an extension of himself.” Gene leaves Devon completely changed, mostly due
to his relationship with Finny. Gene’s nature is self-described as “Phineas-filled,” and he readily admits that
“Phineas created an atmosphere in which I continued now to live.”
2.
How does the class of 1943 change in A Separate Peace? Support your answer with evidence from the
selection.
Suggested Response
Devon’s class of 1943 undergoes a life-altering change. The novel describes their journey from a “summer in
complete selfishness” when they could be “careless and wild,” living “lives which were not bound up with
destruction” to a time when “happiness had disappeared” because “the simplicity and unity of their characters”
is broken as they “grasped the fact of the war.” This journey from peace to war makes an inescapable impact
on each boy, and they all react individually. Leper moves from making “little sketches of birds and trees” to
being mentally disturbed when he finds out “that the army was just too much for him.” Brinker changes from
the model student, the “Lawgiver,” into a questioning “rebel for the Duration.” Even though Gene claims that
Finny was exempt from this process, he states that “all others at some point found something in themselves
pitted violently against something in the world around them.”
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MASTER
John Knowles’s A Separate Peace: A Skills-Based Approach to Teaching the Novel
__________________________________________
Student Name
_______________________
Date
A Separate Peace
Final Assessment
Essay Questions
Directions: Choose one question and write a well-organized essay that responds to the
question. Use specific examples from the novel to support your position.
1.
One of the themes in the novel A Separate Peace deals with the definition of “separate
peace” and how different characters try to acquire it. Discuss how you feel the novel
defines peace and how the novel suggests peace can be achieved on a personal level.
2.
The novel A Separate Peace is a “coming-of-age novel.” Discuss the ways that the
descriptions of the Naguamsett and Devon Rivers symbolize a student’s journey from
childhood to adulthood.
3.
On page 191, Gene states, “Phineas, you wouldn’t be any good in the war, even if
nothing had happened to your leg.” What “important and right” message is Gene telling
Finny?
4.
Explain why the reference to the Maginot Line in the last paragraph is an effective way to
close the novel.
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