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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. Who are those who still have hope of being cured in the mental hospital?

2. When do the lights go out on the ward?

3. Does the extra vote in #44 help McMurphy win a chance to see the World Series?

4. Who are the black boys?

5. Who does Chief Bromden recognize as doing the same thing that McMurphy does?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Nurse Ratched tell the young black men to do before breakfast?

2. How does McMurphy try to help Harding after the Group Meeting?

3. What does Harding's wife do when she comes to visit?

4. What action does McMurphy take as a result of #29?

5. What is so special about Harding in relation to the rest of the patients on the ward?

6. How will the men be punished for the rebellious behavior they exhibited during the World Series?

7. Why doesn't Nurse Ratched want McMurphy sent to the Disturbed ward?

8. What has McMurphy's rebellious spirit caused the men of the ward to begin to do?

9. Which patients are the ones whose brains have been altered beyond repair from shock therapy and tranquilizers?

10. What changes McMurphy's mind about the way he has been acting on the ward?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The idea of who is the 'bull goose loony' comes up early in the story. What do you think the importance of this title is? Why do the two men vie for it? What other characters in the story might be good candidates for this title as well? What qualities do you think make up the definition of a bull goose loony?

Essay Topic 2

Nurse Ratched runs the ward with a briskness and calmness that in enviable in many ways. However, this lack of feeling also seems to create a higher likelihood of manipulating others for her own gain. That said, do you feel Nurse Ratched might do well to have some time in a mental ward herself? Why or why not? What are her main power issues and communication issues which need to be altered in order for her to live a more loving life?

Essay Topic 3

The question as to whether or not McMurphy is simply manipulating the men to get what he wants is something that begins to pull the group apart. In your opinion, do you think this is what McMurphy is trying to do? Why or why not? Would it be a bad thing in either case? In the end, what does McMurphy really 'win' in the ward as a result of his actions? Anything?

(see the answer keys)

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