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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. Ruby’s physical shape is compared to a ________?

2. What is in Ruby’s sack?

3. Who helps Old Dudley up the stairs?

4. In the beginning of “The Barbar”, what is Rayber reminiscing about?

5. How is Rufus connected to Ruby?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why doesn’t the grandmother want to drive through Georgia in “A Good Man is Hard to Find”?

2. Why doesn’t the hitchhiker ride with Mr. Shiflet when he pulls over for him?

3. Why is it ironic that the young boy’s parents are going to the river to the baptisms in “The River”?

4. Why is Ruller afraid something bad is about to happen?

5. Why is the man in the gorilla suit irritated with Enoch?

6. Though General Sash does not want to go to his granddaughter’s graduation, why does he agree to anyhow?

7. What is O’Connor’s message in “The River”?

8. What does Enoch Emery’s daily routine consist of?

9. Who is Leora?

10. What happens at the end of “A Circle in the Fire”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Religion

a. How does religion play a role in short stories in The Complete Stories?

b. What religious motifs arise again and again in O’Connor’s work?

Essay Topic 2

Old Gabriel in “The Wildcat” is said to be one of O’Connor’s most universal characters, what critics dub an “everyman”. Why do you think that Old Gabriel is considered a universal character? What themes in The Wildcat are relatable to all people?

Essay Topic 3

How does Flannery O'Connor use the physically grotesque to illustrate the beautiful? Discuss the meaning she might have implied with the use of the one-armed man, the club-footed delinquent, the retarded young woman, and the neglected boy who seeks heaven in the river.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 766 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample