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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. After burying the body of the man Lewis shot, why does Bobby go in a canoe with Lewis and Drew go in a canoe with Ed?

2. After the trip, how does Ed divert suspicion from them?

3. What does Lewis say when Ed returns to camp and tells him he missed a buck?

4. When Ed finally arrives at the hospital, what happens first?

5. What part of the river must the survivors get through before reaching civilization?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The four men who embark on the canoe trip are representative of typical suburban men of the seventies. Write a few paragraphs about the following:

1) Describe a typical suburban man of the seventies.

2) Compare and contrast that man with a typical suburban man of today. Explain the differences and similarities.

3) The story is set in the South. Would the men have differed from men from similar suburbs in the North? If so, describe what those differences would be.

Essay Topic 2

Sex is a theme that recurs throughout the book. Discuss at least three places in the novel where the author uses sex as a tool to advance the plot or build characters. Describe some of the scenes in which sex plays an important part and explain how it is used in each scene and how the use of sex in that scene advances the plot or deepens the reader's understanding of the characters involved.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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This section contains 538 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample