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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 literary device is employed in the following sentence from Chapter 8: "Tull"? "His eyes look like pieces of burnt-out cinder fixed in his face, looking out over the land" (11).

2. What does Anse claim is in his heart in Chapter 9: "Anse"?

3. What is Vardaman doing when he is seen after the funeral service in Chapter 20: "Tull"?

4. Why does Darl insinuate that Dewey Dell wants Addie to die in Chapter 10: "Darl"?

5. When does Uncle Billy say the bridge was built in Chapter 20: "Tull"?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Vardaman do after fleeing the house in Chapter 13: “Vardaman”?

2. What is Tull's relationship to the Bundrens? What role does he play in the story?

3. How is Cora Tull characterized as a narrator in Chapter 6: “Cora”?

4. Why is Jewel Bundren angry in Chapter 4: “Jewel”? What does his anger indicate about Jewel’s character?

5. What question does Darl pose to Jewel in Chapter 10: “Darl”? How does Jewel respond?

6. What conversation are Vernon Tull and Anse Bundren engaged in, in the beginning of Chapter 8: “Tull”?

7. What is indicated by Anse’s superstitions about moving in Chapter 9: “Anse”?

8. What is foreshadowed in Chapter 20: “Tull”?

9. What is significant about Vardaman’s assessment of his mother in Chapter 15: “Vardaman”?

10. What scenario does Dewey Dell recollect in Chapter 7: “Dewey Dell”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of symbolism and imagery in As I Lay Dying. What are some of the predominant symbols in the novel? What do they represent? What characters in the story have symbolic significance? How?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the impact and symbolism of the barn fire in the narrative. What causes the fire? How is this obstacle overcome by those affected by the fire? How are the animals saved?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Darl's arrest in the end of the novel. Why is he taken away? Where is he presumably taken? How does his family respond to Darl's actions and his being taken away?

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