The Swimmer Quizzes

The Swimmer Quiz

1 In what season does "The Swimmer" begin?
The dead of winter

Late autumn

Midsummer

Spring
2 What is the weather at the start of story?
It is a beautiful day, with completely clear skies

It is raining

It is a beautiful day, with a big cloud in the distance

It is a gray, cloudy day
3 What description best matches Neddy Merrill?
Frail and elderly

Youthful in spirit and in age

Youthful in spirit, if not in age

Insecure and timid
4 What is Neddy's great idea?
To drink five gins in a row

To build himself a new pool

To swim through his neighbors' pools

To make dinner for his wife, Lucinda
5 What does Neddy name his newly discovered route?
Shirley Adams

Aphrodite

The Westerhazy

Lucina
6 What kind of stroke does Neddy use to swim?
A fluid breaststroke

He cannot swim

A choppy crawl

A doggy paddle
7 What is Neddy's mood as he begins his adventure?
Melancholy

Very happy and excited

Calm and passive

Worn out and exhausted
8 What is Neddy's first stop on the Lucinda River?
His own home

The public pool

The highway

The Grahams'
9 What does Neddy think of the Bunkers' pool party?
He feels affection and tenderness for the scene

He is bored and wants to move on with his adventure

He is disgusted by the excesses of their revelry

He is too drunk to notice much
10 What changes at the Levys' pool?
Neddy no longer remembers the route

Neddy gets tired of his journey

A big storm arrives

Night falls
11 What is Neddy surprised by at the Lindleys'?
Their horses are gone and the riding ring overgrown

His exhaustion

The ferocity of the storm

No one is there
12 What surprises Neddy at the Welchers'?
The weather returns to normal

Their pool is dry and they have moved out of the house

They are not happy to see him

They are throwing a big party
13 What difficult obstacle does Neddy face on his voyage?
The Lucinda River dries up

His former mistress scorns him

He cannot remember the route

Trying to cross Route 424
14 What does Neddy think about the public pool?
He regards it as deeply distasteful

He loves it

He wishes Lucinda were with him

He is surprised by how clean and pleasant it is
15 What is one of the Hallorans' defining characteristics?
They swim naked

They swim in regular clothes

Their politics are very right-wing

They don't drink
16 What is Neddy's mood upon leaving the Hallorans'?
He is joyous and full of energy

He is very depressed, cold, and exhausted

He is cold but in good spirits

He is worried about the health of the Hallorans'
17 What important part of Eric Sachs' life does Neddy forget?
He sold his house

He cannot swim

He had surgery on his abdomen

He divorced his wife
18 Why is Grace Biswanger rude to Neddy when he arrives at her party?
Neddy has always turned down her invitations, and he looks down on her and her husband

Grace owes Neddy money

They once had an affair

Grace has never met Neddy before
19 What strange act does Neddy commit after being turned down by Shirley Adams?
He swims naked

He confesses to Lucinda

He has another drink

He weeps
20 How does Neddy swim through the Gilmartins' pool?
The same as always

With a tired sidestroke

With a confident breaststroke

With a doggy paddle
21 How does Neddy feel about completing his adventure as he arrives at his house?
He feels like a triumphant crusader

He feels sad and alone

He is too exhausted to feel triumphant

He is excited to share the news of his route with his wife
22 How does Neddy first explain the darkness of his house?
He has got the wrong address

Lucinda left him and took the girls with her

He has sold the house

Lucinda might have stayed at the Westerhazys' for dinner, and the girls joined her
23 What is the effect of the storm on Neddy's house?
No effect

One of the rain gutters hangs loose

The whole house is in disrepair

The rain has made the pool overflow
24 Who does Neddy first blame for locking his house?
The cook or the maid

His daughters

Lucinda

Himself
25 What does Neddy find out at the very end of "The Swimmer"?
His old age has arrived

He has lost his job

Lucinda has left him

His house is entirely empty

HOW ARE THE CHARACTERS ALIKE AND DIFFERENT?

Which characters are you referring to.... the pool owners?

Asked by Ellen T #1215325

Answered by jill d #170087 on 2/18/2022 9:51 PM

what is the lesson learned from the swimmer?

Consider the theme of affluence and entitlement. Set in an affluent county in suburban New York, "The Swimmer" comments on the wealth associated with the upper classes of American society. The beginning of.the tale opens with Neddy Merrill at a...

Asked by Doglas P #982014

Answered by Aslan on 2/20/2020 5:03 PM

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What is one internal conflict experienced by a character in this story?

Although Neddy lives an affluent "happy" life in the suburbs, he feels isolated. He rejects invitations to social gatherings preferring to spend much of his time alone. Neddy struggles with his isolation and uses swimming as a substitute for...

Asked by Alaya J #587371

Answered by Aslan on 12/9/2016 4:13 AM

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The Swimmer

by John Cheever

The Swimmer Quiz

The Swimmer Questions and Answers

Study Guide for The Swimmer

Essays for The Swimmer

Wikipedia Entries for The Swimmer