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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 Father Schwartz do every night?

2. What does Rudolph tell Father Schwartz when he asks Rudolph if he has told any lies in his confession?

3. What does Father Schwartz tell Rudolph he should have done about the situation in the barn?

4. What word is used to describe how Rudolph felt about telling Father Schwartz his true sins?

5. What is Rudolph's emotional state while he sits with Father Schwartz at the start of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Father Schwartz tell Rudolph he should have done when he was in the barn with the boy and the girl?

2. What words does Father Schwartz use when addressing Rudolph in the confessional in Chapter 2?

3. What plan does Rudolph come up with at the end of Chapter 2 to avoid having to take communion at church the next day?

4. What is Father Schwartz's mood at the start of the story? How do you know?

5. What sin did Rudolph finally confess to Father Schwartz after he "exhausted the minor offenses" (6)?

6. What object in Father Schwartz's room reminds him of "gruesome labyrinths" (1)? Why does he stare at this object in the first place?

7. What "easy sins" did Rudolph confess to Father Schwartz in Chapter 2?

8. Who is Rudolph Miller? How does Father Schwartz behave when he first comes to his house in Chapter 1?

9. What does Father Schwartz do on Saturdays after confession? What happens as he passes the drug store that increases his sadness?

10. What made Rudolph uncomfortable as he sat waiting to confess at the start of Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Fitzgerald's language style and word choice in "Absolution." What are some words that stand out to you and why? What words are repeated? What words are most impactful? Explain your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the author of "Absolution." Who is he? What else has he written? How is "Absolution" similar or different from his other works?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing Fitzgerald's decision to tell the story in free indirect third person point of view. How does this impact the reader's understanding of the story's events? Is this effective? Why or why not?

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