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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. When the television show about the Church pans across the countryside, the narrator describes men walking behind what?

2. Where did the other half of the coin go that the blind man was left with, according to the narrator?

3. When the blind man smokes his second hit of marijuana, the narrator says, “It was like he’d been doing this since he was” how old?

4. Where is Travis A.F.B. located?

5. How did the narrator’s wife’s first marriage end?

Short Essay Questions

1. When and where was “Cathedral” first published? What awards was it nominated for?

2. What does the narrator ask Robert regarding cathedrals in the story? Why? How does Robert respond?

3. How does the narrator’s wife respond to the marijuana downstairs when she returns?

4. How does the reader gain insight into the narrator’s prejudices against blindness in the story?

5. How does the narrator describe his experience in the final lines of the story?

6. Where does the rising action take place in “Cathedral”?

7. What is the narrator’s prayer before dinner? How is the dinner described by the narrator?

8. How many drinks do the narrator, his wife, and Robert have before dinner? What do they discuss?

9. What do the narrator and Robert say in their discussion of religion in the story?

10. How does the narrator feel about the blind man’s visit in the beginning of the story? What are his impressions of “the blind”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the economic and historical context of the story. If the story had been written in a different era, how might the protagonist’s employment situation have been different? How does the protagonist of “Cathedral” reflect the issues facing everyday Americans at this time?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of “rebirth” and the transformation of the narrator from the beginning of the story to the end. How do you think the narrator has changed from his interactions with Robert? Do you think this change is a good thing? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the Middle Ages and the erection of cathedrals during this historical period. Where are the cathedrals in the story (on television) principally located? Why? How are these structures described?

(see the answer keys)

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