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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 blind man asks the narrator’s wife if he looks what, when he meets her husband?

2. When the narrator’s wife first contacted the blind man after working for him, she called him from what facility?

3. What is playing on the television as the narrator’s wife exits upstairs in the story?

4. Where does the blind man live?

5. How does the narrator describe the blind man’s attire when he arrives?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where in “Cathedral” does the climax of the narrative take place?

2. What does the blind man suggest when he feels the drawing is complete? How does the narrator respond?

3. How does the narrator describe Robert’s eyes in the story?

4. What conversation does the narrator have with Robert regarding alcohol after Robert’s arrival?

5. What does the reader learn about the narrator when he and his wife discuss their friends prior to the blind man’s arrival?

6. How does the narrator describe his experience in the final lines of the story?

7. How did the narrator’s wife come to know the blind man? How is this information revealed in the story?

8. How many drinks do the narrator, his wife, and Robert have before dinner? What do they discuss?

9. How does the narrator feel about the blind man’s visit in the beginning of the story? What are his impressions of “the blind”?

10. What role does alcoholism play in “Cathedral”?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the economic and historical context of the story. If the story had been written in a different era, how might the protagonist’s employment situation have been different? How does the protagonist of “Cathedral” reflect the issues facing everyday Americans at this time?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the plot structure of “Cathedral.”How “traditional” do you find the plot structure of the story to be? What about the story’s style makes it more difficult to determine the elements of plot? What does the author employ in order to build suspense in the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the theme of learning in “Cathedral.” What is the importance of learning as an individual? How is this reflected in the story? Do you think that the narrator effectively “learns something” by the end of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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