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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 Chris going to do everything possible to accomplish?

2. What does Carrie do with the brush on her dresser?

3. What does Carrie's mother do when she sees Carrie speaking to the neighbor teen?

4. How are Carrie's parents described?

5. What are Carrie's abilities like?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Carrie think about Tommy's request?

2. What is thought to be the connection between Carrie's ability and her menstrual cycle?

3. What does Sue decide will make things right with Carrie?

4. How does Sue feel about what she told Chris?

5. What did Carrie's father take to work with him and where is he?

6. What happens in August, 1966, at the home of Margret White? Who does Margret live with? How does she treat that person?

7. What does Billy Nolan do to prepare for prom night?

8. Why doesn't the commission know what Tommy's motives were the night of the prom?

9. What does Sue Snell realize when the gym teacher comes in? What does the teacher do?

10. What does Margret do when Carrie tells her she is going to the prom even though her mother had said no?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Stephen King.

2. What in King's background may have helped King in writing CARRIE? What may have influenced the way he depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

Essay Topic 2

Interesting characters contribute a great deal to the success of most novels. Discuss one of the following using specific examples from the text in your discussion:

1. Carrie is singly the most important and most visible character of all the characters. Discuss her most prominent character strengths and flaws and how they impact the other characters in the novel. Use examples from the book to support your answer.

2. Define the term "character foil" and discuss which characters serve as a "foil" to Carrie's character. How do they do so? Why do they do so? How does having a foil to a character help define and make that character more complex? How does it do so in Carrie's case?

3. Discuss four secondary characters. What are their flaws and strengths? How do they contribute or detract from Carrie's efforts for a normal life? What is Carrie's opinion of each of the four characters? Does she like them? Tolerate them? Admire or despise them? Use specific examples from the text in your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

In most fiction, readers would like all the loose ends to be neatly "tied up." Discuss the following:

1. Do you think CARRIE is successful as a horror novel? Why or why not.

2. What about this book would motivate you to read another of Stephen King's books? What would discourage you from doing so?

3. Were all the "loose ends" satisfactorily settled for you? Why or why not? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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