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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 is NOT described as one of the few tricks "the artist" who created the bank mural had "up his sleeve" (26)?

2. The barrel of the gun is said to have what effect on Anders's body?

3. Between utterances of the word the man with the pistol had just said, Anders invokes the name of what deity?

4. The memory that emerges within Anders's conscious mind takes place on a day how many years previous?

5. When Anders imagines a cartoon bubble emerging from the bull's mouth, what does it say that causes Anders to laugh?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss an instance of irony within Anders's final moments.

2. What goal does Anders have in mind when staring into the eyes of the man with the pistol?

3. In what way does Anders react to the man with the pistol's use of 1940s slang and what is the end result?

4. What threat does the man with the pistol make against Anders before shooting him?

5. Discuss an instance of irony within the story.

6. What specific reaction does Anders have to his vision of a cartoon bubble and how do you know?

7. Describe the eyes of the man with the pistol.

8. Wolff compares the speeds of what two objects within Paragraph 35?

9. To what question does Anders answer, "No" in Paragraph 20 before he fights to maintain decorum?

10. What event causes Anders to imagine a cartoon bubble and what does it say?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Could "Bullet in the Brain" be classified as a horror story? Why or why not?

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

Write a critical essay about "Bullet in the Brain" while using the critical power theory lens of Marxist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the story's treatment of issues such as socioeconomic status, hierarchies, wealth, class, or any other issues related to Marxist theory that can be found in the short story.

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