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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why doesn't Lewis kill the man as soon as he and Drew arrive where Bobby and Ed are being held at gunpoint?

2. What does one of the locals who accosted Bobby and Ed with a gun do to Bobby?

3. On the second day of the trip, what does Ed do while Bobby cares for Lewis after Ed drags his friend out of the river?

4. What new complication turns one member of the group into a liability after both canoes overturn?

5. What does Drew want to do with the body of the man Lewis killed?

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

The events of the trip changed Ed Gentry. Describe Ed as James Dickey wanted you to see him at the beginning of the story, then describe him at the end. Are you surprised by those changes? Why or why not? Do you think James Dickey does a good job of taking the reader through the steps necessary for that transformation? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Ed Gentry, Lewis Medlock, Bobby Trippe, and Drew Ballinger are the four main characters in the book. They are alike in some ways, different in others.

1) Compare and contrast the characters of Ed and Lewis. How are they the same? How are they different? Tell why you think these differences exist.

2) What do you think would happen if Bobby Trippe and Drew Ballinger had not existed? Would the story still follow much the same path? What might be different if one or the other of these two men had not existed? Explain your answer.

3) Who is the better leader, Lewis or Ed? Why do you think this? Cite specific incidents from the story to support your case.

(see the answer keys)

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