View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Tom Benecke mentions to Clare what benefit in relation to his workaholic nature?
(a) That she will have a maid one day.
(b) That once this project is done, he will be able to take a vacation.
(c) That once this project is done, he will ask for reduced hours.
(d) That money will be rolling in one day.

2. What is the nature of Tom Benecke's innovative idea concerning the grocery business?
(a) He has an idea to put bar codes on all grocery items.
(b) He has an idea for a new display method.
(c) He has an idea for a marketing campaign.
(d) He has an idea to host a contest for the customers.

3. How many Saturday afternoons had Tom Benecke spent collecting data at the grocery store?
(a) 4.
(b) 2.
(c) 3.
(d) 8.

4. The ledge onto which Tom Benecke ventures is "about as wide as the length of" (20) what?
(a) His shoe.
(b) A pencil.
(c) His hand.
(d) A yardstick.

5. Once Tom Benecke finally makes physical contact with the yellow sheet, in what way is the action described?
(a) He has it by the corner.
(b) The tip of his finger is touching it.
(c) His thumb grazes its corner.
(d) He has it between his teeth.

Short Answer Questions

1. Just before Tom Benecke says, "Got to get this done though" (5), what gesture does he make?

2. What thought does the narrator describe as being difficult for Tom Benecke to "escape" (18)?

3. Immediately after Tom Benecke thinks about how many months it would take to reconstruct the yellow sheet of paper, he takes what action in relation to the window ledge?

4. What action does Tom Benecke take just after dusting off his hands?

5. What word does the narrator use to describe the number of "other young men in his company" (18)?

Short Essay Questions

1. Discuss the way in which Finney uses the hypothetical with a particular purpose in mind in Paragraph 20.

2. In what way does the outside contrast with the inside throughout the story and for what purpose?

3. What is the setting of the story "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket," and how is the setting used to amplify suspense?

4. Tom Benecke realizes at the beginning of the story that the feeling he is experiencing is not heat. What is it instead?

5. What, if any, direct benefit does Tom Benecke believe he will receive in exchange for his idea for a new method of display?

6. What types of information are written upon the yellow sheet of paper?

7. How is irony present within Tom Benecke's feeling about the idea of abandoning the yellow sheet of paper?

8. Why and how does Finney portray forward momentum as a negative force within business?

9. What does the yellow sheet of paper symbolize?

10. For what reason does Tom Benecke feel that he needs to finish his work project quickly?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,369 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample