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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 does Ed do when the owl hunts from the pole of his tent?

2. Who first suggests a white-water canoe trip?

3. Where is the dam being built that will turn part of the Cahulawassee River into a lake?

4. What do the men find in the river on the first day of the canoe trip?

5. Which of the men invited to take the canoe trip is more than happy to agree?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the map of the Cuhulawsassee River that Lewis shows to the men at the luncheon before the canoe trip.

2. How does the discovery of Drew's body change the dynamics of the situation?

3. Why does the Aintry sheriff's deputy react so negatively to the men's story?

4. On the second day of the trip, how is Ed swift enough to reach the shotgun first when the man holding it is shot?

5. Who does Ed believe is Lewis' best friend?

6. As Lewis and Ed drive to Oree, how does Lewis describe the lifestyle of the people in the hill country?

7. Why does Ed tell Drew's wife of her loss before getting a good rest at home?

8. While resting during his climb up the cliff, what does Ed think about the view?

9. Why is Ed fascinated by the map at the luncheon before the canoe trip?

10. After the rape and the disposal of the body, how does Ed feel when he hears the worst whitewater of the trip ahead of them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following options to write about:

1) Throughout the book, contrasts are made between the suburban lifestyle of the four main characters and the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the rural South where the trip takes place. Compare and contrast these two lifestyles as described in the book. Tell why you think the author chose these two groups to portray in his novel.

2) Discuss James Dickey's choice of the rural South as a setting for his novel. Tell what you think led him to choose this setting. Explain why and how his choice of place works well for this story or why you think it does not. Imagine the story with a different setting. Tell how that different setting might change the outcome of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Good stories follow a predictable path from beginning to end. Divide Deliverance into sections. Describe each section, and tell how each contributes to the telling of the story and to the suspense. Describe the climax. Describe the last section, and tell how you think it succeeds in wrapping up all loose ends.

Essay Topic 3

When the men find Drew's body, they realize he may not have been killed by a gunshot after all. How does this discovery add to the plot twists and turns of the story? How does the uncertainty about the cause of Drew's death change the men's future actions? Explain how events following Drew's death are affected by the men's original belief that he was shot to death, then by the uncertainty about the cause of death. What did the author hope to accomplish with this plot twist?

(see the answer keys)

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