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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. Where is Cash riding in the wagon in Chapter 44: “Vardaman”?

2. Which of the Bundren children is Reverend Whitfield the father to?

3. Cash’s principle concern in Chapter 42: “Darl” is for the safety of what?

4. Anse claims in Chapter 28: "Anse" that there is nowhere in this world that an honest, hardworking man can do what?

5. Who is afraid to make the return trip after crossing the remains of the bridge in Chapter 33: “Tull”?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Cash’s condition described in Chapter 42: “Darl”? Where is the Bundren family going in this chapter?

2. What suggestions are made for crossing the river in Chapter 31: “Tull”? How are the suggestions received?

3. How is the timeline of the Bundren children described in Chapter 40: “Addie”?

4. How do the Bundrens make a cast for Cash in Chapter 46: “Darl”? What does this foreshadow?

5. What does Darl recall as the reason Jewel had been unable to stay awake when he was 15 years old in Chapter 32: “Darl”?

6. What is Samson’s opinion of Anse Bundren in Chapter 29: “Samson”? What does Samson offer the family?

7. How are the animals saved from the fire in Chapter 50: “Darl”?

8. What conflict almost arises in Chapter 52: “Darl”? Why?

9. How is Jewel’s arrival described from Darl’s perspective in Chapter 27: “Darl”?

10. What is indicated by Darl’s question to Jewel in Chapter 48: “Darl”? How does Jewel respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

How are each of the characters in the novel illustrated through the language that they use? How does the style of language differ among the narrators? How is the dialogue different from the direct narration?

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