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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. To what does King's friend compare the pay King receives for "Word Processer of the Gods"?

2. Where is "The Wedding Gig" set?

3. What prompts Homer's story on this day?

4. How must the passengers make the jaunt?

5. How does Hal's youngest son feel about his older brother's discovery?

Short Essay Questions

1. The narrator seems to follow a theme throughout the story. What is the main theme the narrator displays?

2. Why do you think King bases his entire introduction on a seemingly mundane conversation with a friend?

3. In "The Jaunt," Mark's family is destroyed by Mark's own deception. Given the reasons for his deception, do you think he was justified in his actions.

4. Why do you think Charles calls the bathroom the basement in "Here There Be Tygers"?

5. "The Wedding Gig" is rife with metaphors, figures of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. For example, "Love is a rose" is a metaphor. Identify a metaphor from "The Wedding Gig" and identify the two things being compared.

6. What is the significance of the "Execute" button on the word processor, and how does Richard feel when looking at that button for the first time?

7. While Randy is trying to save Deke from being sucked between the cracks in the raft by the black, oil-like creature, what is Randy doing to try and stay sane through the unbelievable situation?

8. In "Paranoid: A Chant," there are several instances in which the narrator is showing how obviously disturbed he is. Give one such example and tell why you think that example fits.

9. What significance does the word processor hold for Richard after Jon's death?

10. What is the basic conflict expressed in "The Monkey"? Is there an implied winner? If so, whom or what?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Setting is often a major contributing factor to the mood of a story or novel. However, many of King's stories in this book do not stress setting as much as character. Are there any stories in which the setting is an important factor to the mood? If so, which ones and why? How does King use his characters rather than the setting to set the mood in his stories?

Essay Topic 2

Symbolism is the use of an object, character, figure, place, or color to represent an abstract idea or concept. Stephen King uses symbolism quite readily in his writing. Give three examples of symbolism in "Skeleton Crew" and describe how the use of those symbols makes the story more interesting.

Essay Topic 3

Using "Skeleton Crew" as your example, describe how Stephen King's writing style brought new fans to the horror genre. What does he use that most other horror writers don't? How does his incorporation of humor add to his stories? What do you think he does differently than other writers? What seems to be "textbook" about his approach to writing?

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