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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 was Richard Pine's former name?

2. What does the narrator do to defend Nona?

3. Where are Nona and the narrator heading?

4. What is Thorpe's story about?

5. What happens to Gramma while George is fixing them dinner?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do you think the story "For Owen" is about?

2. "For Owen" seems oddly placed in this collection of stories. Why might King have placed a story about his young son in the midst of more savage and frightening ones?

3. Often, a killer's choice of weapon will say a lot about that person. What do you think Spike's method of operation and choice of weapon say about him?

4. Rumor had it that Gramma was a witch and apparently became one because she could not carry a baby to term. Do you think Gramma was justified to dabble in witchcraft to attain her dream?

5. Uncle Otto's business partner, George, was killed in an accident involving Otto's truck. Most people believe that Otto killed George over a business disagreement. Given the circumstances of the ending, do you think it was Uncle Otto or Uncle Otto's truck that killed George and why?

6. What do you think would be the worst part of being afflicted as Brower is in "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands"? Use examples from the text to support your theory.

7. Gramma is fat, flabby, blind, and smells funny. She also often wears a sly, frightening appearance. Do you think she plays up her frightening aspects to keep the family in line?

8. At the end of "Nona," the narrator is surrounded by rats, and Nona herself turns into a huge, disgusting rat. The narrator then embraces the rat and indicates that he is planning suicide. What do you think this story is really about?

9. There is a rumor in the family that Gramma did something to Franklin to make him die. Do you think the family is just overreacting to their guilt and loss by blaming it on Gramma?

10. Henry encourages a writer who apparently believes in the whimsical creatures about which he writes. Henry begins the encouragement out of amusement and boredom. Do you think the resulting actions leading to the writer's death were what Henry expected to happen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Taking into consideration the volume of work involved in this book, how do you analyze the format of "Notes." Is this really the ending you expect from Stephen King? Do you think King's unpredictability is part of his charm?

Essay Topic 2

The horror genre is one of the most uncomplicated forms of entertainment and is characterized by the author's effort to produce fear in the reader through the use of antagonists such as monsters, ghosts, or even feral animals. The basic concept is the same: the hero must fight against horrific forces for his life and often his soul. Choose one of the stories in "Skeleton Crew" and explain how it fits into the horror genre and how it follows the horror genre formula.

Essay Topic 3

The "willing suspension of disbelief" is a formula for justifying the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literature where the writer infuses a human interest and a semblance of truth into a fantastic tale, encouraging the reader to suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative. The horror genre must often employ this method to keep a reader's interest. Choose an example of willing suspension of disbelief from one of the stories in "Skeleton Crew" and outline how it employs this formula and why it works for this particular tale.

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This section contains 999 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample