The Swimmer Quizzes

The Swimmer Quiz

1 In what season does "The Swimmer" begin?
Late autumn

Spring

The dead of winter

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

It is a gray, cloudy day

It is raining

It is a beautiful day, with a big cloud in the distance
3 What description best matches Neddy Merrill?
Youthful in spirit, if not in age

Frail and elderly

Youthful in spirit and in age

Insecure and timid
4 What is Neddy's great idea?
To swim through his neighbors' pools

To make dinner for his wife, Lucinda

To build himself a new pool

To drink five gins in a row
5 What does Neddy name his newly discovered route?
Shirley Adams

The Westerhazy

Lucina

Aphrodite
6 What kind of stroke does Neddy use to swim?
A choppy crawl

A fluid breaststroke

A doggy paddle

He cannot swim
7 What is Neddy's mood as he begins his adventure?
Very happy and excited

Worn out and exhausted

Calm and passive

Melancholy
8 What is Neddy's first stop on the Lucinda River?
The highway

The Grahams'

The public pool

His own home
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

A big storm arrives

Neddy gets tired of his journey

Night falls
11 What is Neddy surprised by at the Lindleys'?
His exhaustion

Their horses are gone and the riding ring overgrown

The ferocity of the storm

No one is there
12 What surprises Neddy at the Welchers'?
They are not happy to see him

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

The weather returns to normal

They are throwing a big party
13 What difficult obstacle does Neddy face on his voyage?
Trying to cross Route 424

The Lucinda River dries up

His former mistress scorns him

He cannot remember the route
14 What does Neddy think about the public pool?
He is surprised by how clean and pleasant it is

He loves it

He regards it as deeply distasteful

He wishes Lucinda were with him
15 What is one of the Hallorans' defining characteristics?
They swim naked

Their politics are very right-wing

They don't drink

They swim in regular clothes
16 What is Neddy's mood upon leaving the Hallorans'?
He is very depressed, cold, and exhausted

He is joyous and full of energy

He is worried about the health of the Hallorans'

He is cold but in good spirits
17 What important part of Eric Sachs' life does Neddy forget?
He had surgery on his abdomen

He sold his house

He cannot swim

He divorced his wife
18 Why is Grace Biswanger rude to Neddy when he arrives at her party?
They once had an affair

Grace has never met Neddy before

Grace owes Neddy money

Neddy has always turned down her invitations, and he looks down on her and her husband
19 What strange act does Neddy commit after being turned down by Shirley Adams?
He has another drink

He swims naked

He weeps

He confesses to Lucinda
20 How does Neddy swim through the Gilmartins' pool?
With a confident breaststroke

The same as always

With a doggy paddle

With a tired sidestroke
21 How does Neddy feel about completing his adventure as he arrives at his house?
He is excited to share the news of his route with his wife

He feels like a triumphant crusader

He is too exhausted to feel triumphant

He feels sad and alone
22 How does Neddy first explain the darkness of his house?
Lucinda might have stayed at the Westerhazys' for dinner, and the girls joined her

He has sold the house

He has got the wrong address

Lucinda left him and took the girls with her
23 What is the effect of the storm on Neddy's house?
The whole house is in disrepair

No effect

One of the rain gutters hangs loose

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

Lucinda

His daughters

The cook or the maid
25 What does Neddy find out at the very end of "The Swimmer"?
His house is entirely empty

Lucinda has left him

He has lost his job

His old age has arrived

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