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. Who opens the security gate leading to the bank tellers' stations?

2. The object toward which the man with the shotgun moves after striking the guard is located "at the end of" (10) what?

3. What phrase does the man with the pistol use in order to tell Anders to be quiet?

4. The man with the pistol presses it to whose neck?

5. What two adjectives does Anders use to characterize the conversation of the women ahead of him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the first turn of phrase used by the man with the pistol that interests Anders and why?

2. Describe the first physical contact one of the robbers makes with Anders.

3. Anders refers to the conflict at the center of the story as what object? Why?

4. How does Wolff use allusion within the story?

5. What sort of narration does the story "Bullet in the Brain" employ?

6. Describe the man with the sawed-off shotgun.

7. At what time of day does the story take place?

8. What is the first command the man with the pistol gives to Anders and how does Anders respond?

9. In what way is Anders shown to be hypocritical within the opening scene of the story?

10. Contrast Anders's reaction to the bank robbery with the reaction of the woman in front of Anders in line.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Wolff’s story “Bullet in the Brain.” Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the reasons why "Bullet in the Brain" uses an omniscient narrator and a plot that unfolds largely in real time. What elements of the story's themes lend themselves to these choices and what are Wolff’s intended effects on the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Anders’ fascination with language throughout the story and trace how his relationship to language changes over the course of his life.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 966 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample