View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. By what familyar nickname does the blind man call the narrator?

2. After showing a cathedral in Portugal, the television show next travels to show a cathedral where?

3. When the television show about the Church pans across the countryside, the narrator describes men walking behind what?

4. In what city did the blind man’s wife die?

5. What is the blind man’s answer when the narrator’s wife asks if he has a TV?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is symbolized through the television set in the story?

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

3. What is “minimalist fiction” and how does it apply to “Cathedral”?

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

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

6. What are the narrator’s first impressions of Robert after his arrival? How is Robert dressed?

7. What is signified by the narrator’s choice to keep his eyes closed at the end of the story?

8. Which of the characters in the story stands out from the theme of alienation? Why?

9. How are the characters in “Cathedral” representative of Raymond Carver’s style?

10. How does the narrator describe the scene once his wife has gone upstairs after dinner?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the important expository elements established in the first two to three pages of “Cathedral.” Why is it important for the reader to understand the history of the narrator’s wife and her friendship with the blind man? How does this information serve the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the narrative style of “Cathedral.” What are the advantages and disadvantages of this style? How does the narrative point of view relate to the story and its themes? How does this narrative point of view affect you as a reader?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the marriage of the narrator and his wife and the marriage of Robert and Beulah as seen in the text. How are these relationships similar? How do they differ?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 869 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample