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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 does Cash do after realizing that his mother is dead in Chapter 12: "Darl"?

2. What does Darl claim Jewel's mother is in Chapter 21: "Darl"?

3. What caused Pa to be laid up sick, according to Jewel in Chapter 4: "Jewel"?

4. How does Darl say that Peabody has "pussel-gutted himself" (13) in Chapter 10: "Darl"?

5. How much of the time does Cash say people are generally upright in a house in Chapter 18: "Cash"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How are Cash Bundren’s feelings for his father illustrated through his actions in Chapter 17: “Darl”?

2. What makes Darl Bundren unique as a narrator in As I Lay Dying?

3. What is foreshadowed about Dewey Dell’s condition in Chapter 14: “Dewey Dell”?

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

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

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

7. What actions and events comprise Chapter 22: “Cash”? How does the chapter end?

8. What are the individual agendas of the Bundren family members as they prepare to depart for their journey in Chapter 24: “Vardaman”?

9. What does Jewel do when he family departs in Chapter 25: “Darl”? Why?

10. What sentence comprises Chapter 19: “Vardaman”? What is the meaning behind this chapter?

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 author's use of irony in As I Lay Dying. What are examples of dramatic irony in the novel? What are examples of situational irony? How does each example in the novel serve the story?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the unique narrative style in As I Lay Dying. What characters are also narrators in the novel? Why do you think the author employs different narrators? Are any narrators more reliable than others? Why or why not?

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