View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Tom mark their lawn before leaving?

2. Which was not a name of one of Gary's former housemates?

3. What does Gary believe about the creatures?

4. How does the group decide whether to let Gary in?

5. What does Malorie tell Olympia to do while Tom and Jules are gone?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the new entrant in Chapter 27 say happened as his previous house?

2. How does Malorie consider blinding her children?

3. What advice did Don give Malorie concerning her babies?

4. Why does Tom claim that they need medicine at the house?

5. What is written on the sign on the bodies of the parents that Tom and Jules find?

6. What does Tom find in the master bedroom of the house he enters?

7. What do Malorie and her sister look for in the clouds in Malorie's memory?

8. What are some of the items printed on the receipt found by Tom in a vacant house?

9. What snacks does Malorie give her children in the rowboat?

10. How do Tom and Jules propose to walk during their next trip outside of the house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Malerman uses vivid descriptions of physical injury and violence in many different contexts, with many different victims. Choose two depictions of physical injury or violence from different portions of the book. Explain each scene with respect to who finds the victim, how the injury is described, and the the effect on the character who finds the victim.

Essay Topic 2

Trust is an essential element in the relationships among the characters in the safe house at Riverbridge. Write an essay in which you argue whether or not the characters trust one another. Use evidence from the text to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you discuss the significance of vision in the novel. How do the characters perceive vision? How is the concept of vision discussed in the narrative, and how do events involving vision affect the plot? Why does the author choose to depict vision in this way?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 560 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample