The Swimmer Quizzes

The Swimmer Quiz

1 In what season does "The Swimmer" begin?
Spring

Late autumn

The dead of winter

Midsummer
2 What is the weather at the start of story?
It is a gray, cloudy day

It is a beautiful day, with completely clear skies

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

It is raining
3 What description best matches Neddy Merrill?
Youthful in spirit, if not in age

Youthful in spirit and in age

Frail and elderly

Insecure and timid
4 What is Neddy's great idea?
To build himself a new pool

To drink five gins in a row

To swim through his neighbors' pools

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

Lucina

Aphrodite

The Westerhazy
6 What kind of stroke does Neddy use to swim?
A doggy paddle

A fluid breaststroke

He cannot swim

A choppy crawl
7 What is Neddy's mood as he begins his adventure?
Melancholy

Worn out and exhausted

Very happy and excited

Calm and passive
8 What is Neddy's first stop on the Lucinda River?
The Grahams'

The highway

His own home

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

He is disgusted by the excesses of their revelry

He is too drunk to notice much

He is bored and wants to move on with his adventure
10 What changes at the Levys' pool?
Night falls

Neddy no longer remembers the route

A big storm arrives

Neddy gets tired of his journey
11 What is Neddy surprised by at the Lindleys'?
No one is there

His exhaustion

Their horses are gone and the riding ring overgrown

The ferocity of the storm
12 What surprises Neddy at the Welchers'?
They are throwing a big party

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

The weather returns to normal

They are not happy to see him
13 What difficult obstacle does Neddy face on his voyage?
His former mistress scorns him

Trying to cross Route 424

He cannot remember the route

The Lucinda River dries up
14 What does Neddy think about the public pool?
He is surprised by how clean and pleasant it is

He loves it

He wishes Lucinda were with him

He regards it as deeply distasteful
15 What is one of the Hallorans' defining characteristics?
Their politics are very right-wing

They swim naked

They swim in regular clothes

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 divorced his wife

He sold his house

He cannot swim

He had surgery on his abdomen
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 weeps

He has another drink

He confesses to Lucinda

He swims naked
20 How does Neddy swim through the Gilmartins' pool?
With a confident breaststroke

With a tired sidestroke

With a doggy paddle

The same as always
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 is too exhausted to feel triumphant

He feels sad and alone

He feels like a triumphant crusader
22 How does Neddy first explain the darkness of his house?
Lucinda left him and took the girls with her

He has sold the house

He has got the wrong address

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?
One of the rain gutters hangs loose

The whole house is in disrepair

The rain has made the pool overflow

No effect
24 Who does Neddy first blame for locking his house?
Lucinda

His daughters

Himself

The cook or the maid
25 What does Neddy find out at the very end of "The Swimmer"?
He has lost his job

Lucinda has left him

His house is entirely empty

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