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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 the name of the cove to where the narrator escapes in the story "Water Liars"?

2. From what country is "The General" in the story "Redemption?

3. What fierce storm tore up the land, causing the monkey to become adrift in the story "Letters from the Samantha"?

4. How does the monkey react when the captain looks him straight in the eyes in "Letters from the Samantha"?

5. How does Jack Hawthorne accidentally kill his brother in the story "Redemption"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What type of obsessions affect the narrator's family in "The Lover of Horses"?

2. How does the grandmother react when face-to-face with the killer she read about in the newspapers?

3. How does the monkey die in the story "Letters from the Samantha"?

4. What type of relationship does the narrator have with her dead son in the story "Dream Children"?

5. What strains threaten to ruin the marriage of Leroy Moffitt and Norma Jean in the story "Shiloh"?

6. How does Leo Finkel meet his wife in "The Magic Barrel"?

7. What type of hunting experience does the fisherman and his boys have in the story "The Ledge"?

8. How is the narrator viewed by the townsfolk in the story "Dream Children"?

9. What stories do the old men from the cove tell the narrator in the story "Water Liars"?

10. Why don't roommates Henry and Osmond get along in the story "The Christian Roommates"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Water Liars" expresses the relationship between truth and story telling. Choose one of the stories that the men told on Farte's Pier and express whether or not you believe the story to be true and why. Why do the men on the pier continue to tell the story? What message is sent to the reader about the value of truth, or lack thereof, in a good story? How do the stories told at Farte's Pier help the narrator cope with his personal problems? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the grandmother has an obsession with one article of clothing. First, describe that article of clothing and explain why it is so important to the grandmother. What does the grandmother think this item of clothing represents? Then, explain what happens to this article of clothing as the story progresses. How does the change in the clothing item represent the emotional and moral changes occurring in the grandmother's character? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

The story "Push" is all about the dangers of threats, either real or imagined. First, describe the two main characters of the story. What is the same about these two boys? What is different? Describe how they threaten one another and what actions each boy takes to ensure that they are the most popular kid on the playground. Then, describe the events of the boy's final fight on the playground. Which was victorious? What did each of the boys learn about themselves through their fights and threats for popularity? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

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