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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 color are Rudolph's eyes?

2. What does Rudolph think might be the worst sin he has committed in the last 12 hours after taking communion?

3. What does Rudolph see his father doing at the end of Chapter 3?

4. What does Rudolph's father first do when he wakes at 6 a.m. on Sunday?

5. How does Rudolph feel as the time for communion nears at church in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Rudolph feel as time for communion nears? Why does he ultimately get up to take communion?

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

3. What does Father Schwartz tell Rudolph he should do after asking him what he wants to be when he grows up?

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

5. How does Rudolph's mother behave after his altercation with his father in Chapter 3? How does Rudolph feel about his mother at this time?

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

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

8. What happens between Carl and Rudolph after Rudolph angrily tosses his cup into the kitchen sink in Chapter 3?

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

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 a detailed analysis of tone in Fitzgerald's "Absolution." Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay discussing the setting and time period of "Absolution." In what ways does the time period and setting impact your understanding of the story as well as the themes?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining the confessional as a symbol in "Absolution." In what scenes does the confessional appear? What is the context? How does this symbol develop the narrative?

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