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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. What does Billy note when he returns to the vaqueros' campsite?

2. Where do Billy and Boyd spend weeks traveling?

3. How does Billy incapacitate the wolf?

4. Billy refuses to leave the Mexican town without ________________.

5. What do the men take from Billy before ordering him to follow them to a small town?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Billy choose to go to Mexico instead of returning home?

2. What does Billy do with the dead wolf?

3. What happened to the family dog during the murderous attacks?

4. How much of Billy's decision not to return home is a conscious decision?

5. What life lesson does Billy learn when he visits the old man to talk about trapping?

6. What do the men want from Billy and how does he respond to their demands?

7. What has made the wolf leave her home in Mexico to roam in the United States?

8. Why does Billy set a wolf trap in the vaqueros' smoldering campfire?

9. How do Billy and Boyd discuss their parents' murders?

10. Where does Billy stop with the wolf on the way to Mexico and what care is provided for them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting for the novel. Why does McCarthy use the setting he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Billy Parham. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What motivates him at this point?

Essay Topic 3

Project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for Billy's life. Be sure to include emotional states as well as physical characteristics, geographic locations, work, hobbies, socialization, etc.

(see the answer keys)

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