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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 is the name of Sportcoat’s late wife?

2. According to the narrator in Chapter 1, when does the mysterious cheese arrive?

3. As Joe Peck reveals in Chapter 11, he needs help with a shipment coming from which country?

4. What kind of car does Joe Peck drive, as revealed in Chapter 11?

5. What activity does Earl enjoy doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What fear does the Elephant have in Chapter 11? Why does he feel this way?

2. Who is Bunch Moon? What does he think about Deems in Chapter 6?

3. How did Deems become a drug dealer, as revealed in Chapter 7? What was the result?

4. Who is Earl? What reservations does he have, as revealed in Chapter 6?

5. Who is the Governor, and what does he ask of the Elephant in Chapter 5?

6. Who is Jet and what important information has he learned about the Cause, as revealed in Chapter 3?

7. Who is Dominic and what does he give Sportcoat in Chapter 10?

8. How do the various residents of the Cause attempt to explain the shooting in Chapter 1?

9. What various misfortunes have befallen Sportcoat, as explained by the narrator in Chapter 2?

10. What personal information does the reader learn about the Elephant at the start of Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sportcoat tells Deems that he tried to kill him because “the life of goodness is not one that your people has chosen for you” (322). Explain Sportcoat’s words. How do his words reflect not only his motive for shooting Deems but also the novel’s themes and conflicts?

Essay Topic 2

The characters in Deacon King Kong all highlight the idea the past is never truly past. Choose three characters and explain how each illustrates this idea, using textual evidence to support your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Although the world of Deacon King Kong is firmly rooted in the physical world, the characters of the novel frequently discuss ghosts, witches, and curses (called mojos). Explain how these supernatural phenomena affect the novel’s plot and characters?

(see the answer keys)

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