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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Anse Bundren says in Chapter 58: “Dewey Dell” that his own daughter accuses him of being a what?

2. Anse exclaims to Addie that she’s lucky why in Chapter 58: “Dewey Dell”?

3. Who does Reverend Whitfield imagine going to confess his sin to in Chapter 41: “Whitfield”?

4. MacGowan says all the doctors in town are gone where to a Barbers’ Convention in Chapter 55: “MacGowan”?

5. How does Dewey Dell imagine herself sitting in the wagon in Chapter 30: “Dewey Dell”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What thoughts occupy Anse Bundren as the family travels in the wagon in Chapter 28: “Anse”?

2. What are Vernon Tull’s impressions as they cross the river in Chapter 33: “Tull”?

3. What does Vardaman think about the setting and situation in Chapter 56: “Vardaman”?

4. How does Dewey Dell lose her money to Anse Bundren in Chapter 58: “Dewey Dell”?

5. How is the timeline of the Bundren children described in Chapter 40: “Addie”?

6. What implications do you discern from Anse’s introduction of his children to “Mrs. Bundren” in Chapter 59: “Cash”?

7. What is foreshadowed through Anse’s actions in Chapter 53: “Cash”?

8. What suggestions are made for crossing the river in Chapter 31: “Tull”? How are the suggestions received?

9. What does Darl recall as the reason Jewel had been unable to stay awake when he was 15 years old in Chapter 32: “Darl”?

10. How is Cash’s condition described in Chapter 42: “Darl”? Where is the Bundren family going in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the character of Darl Bundren in As I Lay Dying. How old is Darl? What are the notable qualities of Darl's personality? What happens to Darl in the course of the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

How are each of the characters in the novel illustrated through the language that they use? How does the style of language differ among the narrators? How is the dialogue different from the direct narration?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of Jewel Bundren in As I Lay Dying. How old is Jewel? What are Jewel's relationships like with his parents? What are Jewel's relationships like with his siblings? What are Jewel's main objectives in the novel?

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