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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 is Rudolph's father's occupation?

2. Who can Father Schwartz hear pass by his window at 4 p.m.?

3. What does Father Schwartz offer to Rudolph when he will not tell him his sin?

4. What concerns Rudolph at the start of Chapter 2?

5. Why is Rudolph upset at the end of his confession with Father Schwartz in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What questions does Father Schwartz ask Rudolph when he says he has committed a terrible sin?

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

4. Why did Rudolph stay and confess despite his urge to leave while he waited at the confessional in Chapter 2?

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

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

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

8. Who is Blatchford Sarnmenington? What happens when Rudolph thinks of him?

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

10. What did Rudolph try to force himself to do as he waited at the confessional in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the use of dialogue versus the use of description. Look at how each is used in the story and what makes these uses effective or ineffective.

Essay Topic 2

Genre is a category assigned to a literary work. What are some genres that could be used to classify "Absolution"? What is the main genre of the story? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Rudolph's goals and motives. What are they? Does he achieve them? Does he share similar goals and motives with other characters? Do his goals clash with other characters? How?

(see the answer keys)

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