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

2. The narrator finds a pen for the blind man where in his house?

3. What happens to the television show as the narrator works on his drawing of a cathedral in the story?

4. What does the narrator say causes him problems sleeping?

5. What novelist was Raymond Carver’s mentor and teacher?

Short Essay Questions

1. When and where was “Cathedral” first published? What awards was it nominated for?

2. What is Robert’s response when the narrator offers him marijuana after dinner? What is his experience with the drug?

3. How does the narrator’s wife describe Robert’s marriage prior to his arrival in the story?

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

5. How does the narrator characterize his usual evenings in the story? What does this indicate about his character?

6. What takes place in the story as it builds to its climax?

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

8. How does the reader gain insight into the narrator’s prejudices against blindness in the story?

9. How is the beginning of the television show about the church described?

10. How is the narrator’s “blind drawing” experience described?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Raymond Carver’s role in the minimalist movement in literature during the 1980s. What influenced this movement? Who were Carver’s influences as a writer? How is minimalism illustrated in “Cathedral”?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Describe and discuss the setting of “Cathedral.” Of what importance is the setting of the story? Could the story be set in a different time and place? How would this change the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 881 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample