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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. In the section entitled "December 18, 2020," Holly again visits which character?

2. How many short steps are included in the flight of the stairs leading to the cupola?

3. In the section called "December 17, 2020," Holly arranges to meet Chet at what location the following day?

4. What name had already been picked out for the unborn child who died in the accident with Chuck's parents?

5. In what location does Holly discover the Outsider's clothes after his demise?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is revealed to be the true source of Chuck's crescent-shaped scar?

2. What is the significance of the phrase "Twirlers and Spinners" (143) in Act I: I Contain Multitudes of "The Life of Chuck"?

3. What happens in the prologue of the story "If It Bleeds" and how does it set the mood of the story?

4. What kind of person is Holly's mother and how do you know?

5. What does King mean when he writes of the cupola, "But fascination is fear's twin brother" (137)?

6. Discuss the ultimate fate of the Outsider featured in the story "If It Bleeds."

7. Where does Holly arrange to meet the Outsider when he agrees to her demand for $300,000?

8. What sort of coping mechanisms does Holly use to cope with the effects of her past trauma?

9. How does King juxtapose an everyday setting with a mood befitting a horror story?

10. What is the significance of the term "orphant" (150) in Act I: I Contain Multitudes in the story entitled "The Life of Chuck"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose an object from If It Bleeds, such as the crescent-shaped scar on Chuck’s hand or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within King’s collection If It Bleeds. Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the collection.

Essay Topic 3

In what way does King utilize irony within the text? Discuss at least three uses of irony within If It Bleeds and explore each instance's connection to larger themes contained within the piece.

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