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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 Vardaman ask Darl about the buzzards in Chapter 47: “Vardaman”?

2. The rope that Jewel holds in Chapter 36: “Tull” is compared with what?

3. Why does the family perceive that Cash is safe in Chapter 37: “Darl”?

4. Tull describes Anse as looking like what dressed up in Chapter 31: “Tull"?

5. What does Darl ask Jewel in Chapter 48: “Darl,” angering him?

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 thoughts occupy Anse Bundren as the family travels in the wagon in Chapter 28: “Anse”?

3. What is foreshadowed through Cora and Addie’s conversation in Chapter 39: “Cora”?

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

5. What does Darl discuss in Chapter 57: “Darl”? What is symbolized through this monologue?

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

7. What elements of the story are foreshadowed in Chapter 49: “Vardaman”?

8. What happens between Dewey Dell Bundren and MacGowan in Chapter 55: “MacGowan”?

9. What actions does Reverend Whitfield commit in Chapter 41: “Whitfield”? Why?

10. What question does Vardaman pose to Darl in Chapter 47: “Vardaman”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Dewey Dell Bundren. How old is Dewey Dell? What qualities stand out the most in her character? How does Dewey Dell differ from the other members of her family?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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