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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 kind of shoes is the man with the pistol wearing?

2. What language does Wolff use to describe the location where Anders is shot?

3. What gesture does Anders make when he laughs near the end of his life?

4. What word does the man with the pistol utter after he states Anders's consequence for a certain action?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. The man with the pistol wonders aloud if Anders views him in what way?

2. Discuss an instance of irony within the story.

3. What appears to be the source of the man with the pistol's anger toward Anders?

4. In what way does the narrator make a distinction between different kinds of time?

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

6. What is ironic about the mural artist's portrayal of the story of Zeus and Europa?

7. What event happens to force Anders to examine the domed ceiling of the bank?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Wolff’s message concerning the link between awe and vibrancy?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the instances of irony within the narrative of "Bullet in the Brain" and analyze Wolff's purpose for including each instance you discuss.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the use of repetition throughout the story. What is Wolff’s purpose for employing the device frequently as he tells the story of “Bullet in the Brain”?

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This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample