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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 article of clothing does Tom Benecke don just before he ventures out onto the ledge?

2. What animal does Jack Finney use to describe the way in which Tom Benecke shuffles along?

3. What is NOT something Tom Benecke relates to the reader about his "own project" (10)?

4. At what time does Clare leave the Beneckes' apartment?

5. What are the final words Tom Benecke says to Clare Benecke before she leaves the apartment?

Short Essay Questions

1. What evidence points toward the fact that Clare Benecke often goes out by herself because Tom Benecke has to work?

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

3. In what way does the physical description of the exterior of Tom Benecke's apartment dovetail with the theme of isolation?

4. What kinds of implements does Tom Benecke consider in his quest to reach the yellow sheet of paper from his window?

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

6. Describe the miscalculations Tom Benecke makes when he is preparing to go outside.

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

8. How does Tom Benecke feel about the idea of abandoning the yellow sheet of paper at the beginning of the story?

9. Describe the character of Tom Benecke.

10. Discuss details of the story suggesting that Tom Benecke knows the choice he is making to stay home is the wrong one?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Research the 1950s in relation to the business world and create a claim linking the historical context of the story "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket" with one of its main messages.

Essay Topic 2

Explicate the theme of blind ambition within "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket." What is Finney's message regarding ambition that comes at any cost and how do you know?

Essay Topic 3

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within Jack Finney's story "Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket." Create a decisive, arguable claim and prove it with quotes from the story.

(see the answer keys)

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