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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. With whom is the narrator having problems at the time he escapes to the cove in "Water Liars"?

2. Where does Billy stab the young woman, causing a terrible scar?

3. What part of David's body is injured during the animal attack?

4. What group of people does the wife in "The Used-Boys Raisers" believe were put on earth to be "a thorn in the side of mankind"?

5. How do the wife's children feel when all her husbands are home together in the story "The Used-Boys Raisers"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does David Hawthorne die in the story "Redemption," and what is his family's reaction?

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

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

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

5. What instrument does Jack Hawthorne learn to play in the story "Redemption," and why?

6. What lie did James tell his fellow bus riders in the story "The Liar"?

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

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

9. In the story "The Misfits," how does Gay Langland feel about relationships?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story "Ile Forest," centers around one singular crime and the idea of man judging another man, or absolving him of his crimes. First, describe the crime that was committed in Ile's Forest. Who was involved? What was the outcome of the crime? Choose two characters from Ile's present life and describe how these two characters judged Ile for his crime. Were they willing to forgive him? Why or why not? In the end, do you think justice was served to Ile for his crimes? Why or why not? Be sure to include examples from the text that you strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "The Misfits," Gay is a man who cannot commit to anything for a long period of time. Describe Gay's character and explain why he a fear of commitment. Choose one relationship in Gay's life and explain how his fear of commitment affected that relationship. Finally, describe the relationship between Gay and Perce. What brings these two men closer together? What threatens to tear them apart? Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

The story "Bystander" is a reflection of fatherhood as seen through the eyes of Arty and his relationship with his father, Lewis. First, describe the relationship Arty had with his father in his childhood. Then, compare that to the relationship he has with his father in adulthood. Explain why Arty feels like a "Bystander" in his relationship with his father and why, even though he feels inactive. Be sure to include examples from the text that you believe strengthen your arguments.

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