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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 season is setting in in Chapter 39 (pp. 136-137)?

2. Which of the following does Ballard not lose while crossing the creek?

3. Which of the following is not something Ballard salvages from the fire?

4. What strikes Ballard as he crosses the rushing creek?

5. Why does Ballard abruptly stop having sex with the dead girl?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what state is the town in this section?

2. Why does Ballard go to Blount County?

3. How does Ballard subsist as the harsh winter descends?

4. What point does Mr. Fox make to Ballard about his debt to the grocery?

5. Describe the inside of Ballard's cave.

6. What wakes Lester Ballard the night after his shopping spree in town?

7. How does Ballard's situation change in this section?

8. What does Ballard do on his trip into town?

9. What does Ballard realize about the Ralph's idiot baby?

10. What crime problem is the Sheriff facing in this section?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the Sheriff. Is he an effective law enforcer? Is he a principled man with a vision for his County? Write your essay in three paragraphs, detailing three specific episodes in the text that are driven by the Sheriff. Detail the episodes and examine how effective the character is in achieving his objective.

Essay Topic 2

Child of God, while a violent and horrific narrative, contains scenes of bleak humor, centering generally on Lester Ballard's inability to function effectively in normal society. Write an essay encompassing three of these episodes:

Part 1) Examine the interchange that Ballard has with the Blacksmith. How does this scene reflect a rare occurrence of a mainstream individual attempting to relate to Ballard? How does Ballard respond?

Part 2) Consider Ballard's exchange with Mr. Fox at the grocery. How does this interchange reflect a general societal attitude toward Ballard within Sevier County, and is Ballard's reaction to Fox a microcosm of his reaction to Sevier in general?

Part 3) In Blount County, Ballard tries to sell three purloined watches to a group of men, who scam him. What does this scene say about Ballard's ultimate lack of control in the world?

Essay Topic 3

In the opening passages of the book, McCarthy gives a description of Ballard as a soul. In the closing passages, he creates a portrait of Ballard as a body, vivisected into its component organ systems by doctors and students. Compare these two passages under the thesis of how McCarthy portrays Ballard throughout the novel. Is he creating a portrait that we are supposed to understand or a subject we are supposed to observe?

(see the answer keys)

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