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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. The man with the shotgun moves with "a peculiar" (10) what?

2. What adjective is used to describe the line Anders faces when he gets to the bank?

3. Who says, "Buzz him in" in Paragraph 10?

4. Against what part of Anders's body does the man with the pistol press his gun?

5. As the bank teller speaks to another bank employee, she takes what stance?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does the theme of social status or class come into play within the story?

3. What is the main conflict at the center of the story and who is involved in that conflict?

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

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

6. Discuss a moment in the story that reveals who is in charge of the bank robbery.

7. What two-word name does the man with the pistol call Anders?

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

9. Describe the setting in the opening of the story "Bullet in the Brain."

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Wolff’s purpose for using scientific and realistic language to describe certain elements of the story, such as the path the bullet takes on its way through the protagonist’s cranium.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Wolff’s messages about self-control within the story “Bullet in the Brain.” Focus on elements of the story such as Anders’s inability to keep himself from laughing at the bank robbers’ cliched language.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze Wolff’s focus on the theme of class differences and social status within the story. What message is Wolff sending about class, privilege, and prescriptive versus descriptive grammar?

(see the answer keys)

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