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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. How does Rudolph feel toward his mother when she tries to help after his altercation with his father in the kitchen in Chapter 3?

2. What is Rudolph doing in the kitchen on Sunday morning when his father finds him?

3. How are the phrases Father Schwartz mutters to Rudolph at the end of the story described?

4. What does Rudolph do at the end of the story?

5. What does Rudolph's father chastise him for after telling him to pour his water into the sink on Sunday morning in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Carl go to the kitchen when he was getting ready for work on Sunday morning?

2. What does Carl pray for in the church pew as he kneels beside his son?

3. With whom does Rudolph walk to church? What is he told he must do when he arrives?

4. Why is Carl upset at Rudolph when he finds him in the kitchen in Chapter 3?

5. What does Rudolph tell Father Schwartz in the confessional in Chapter 4 after his altercation with his father?

6. What are the only two options Rudolph thinks he has after his father finds him in the kitchen in Chapter 3?

7. Why does Rudolph feel safe in the room with Father Schwartz at the start of Chapter 5?

8. What does Carl find Rudolph doing in the kitchen on Sunday morning in Chapter 3?

9. What is Carl Miller's Sunday morning routine as seen at the start of Chapter 3?

10. At the end of the story, why does Rudolph feel that God will not punish him for his lies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing and contrasting Rudolph and Father Schwartz in "Absolution." What details help develop their character and what do these details tell you about them? What is their background? How do they know each other? How do they interact? In what ways are they similar or different? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay examining the ending of "Absolution." How did the ending fit into the storyline? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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