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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. In the story "The Enduring Chill," where does Asbury's friend Goetz take him to help him deal with death?

2. In the story "Judgment Day," what does the black actor do the first time Tanner insults him?

3. In "The Lame Shall Enter First," what does Sheppard believe Norton will become when he grows up?

4. In the story "Revelation," who is at the lowest rung of social class in Mrs. Turpin's opinion?

5. In the story "Greenleaf," what had the Greenleaf boys done to distinguish themselves?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the story "The Comforts of Home," what motivates Thomas' mother to help Star?

2. What does the narrator say is the "irony" of the way Julian has turned out in the story "Everything That Rises Must Converge"?

3. In the story "The Enduring Chill," how does the author characterize the relationship between Mary George and Asbury?

4. In "The Lame Shall Enter First," how does Norton react when Rufus tells him about hell? Why?

5. In the story "Judgment Day," how do Tanner's and his daughter's views on burial differ?

6. At the end of the story "The Comforts of Home," what does the sheriff surmise actually happened to Thomas' mother?

7. Describe the tractor accident in the story "Parker's Back."

8. In the story "Parker's Back," why doesn't Sarah Ruth want Parker to have the Bible tattooed on his back?

9. In the story "A View of the Woods," how does Mary Fortune react when her father beats her?

10. In the story "Revelation," what bothers Mrs. Turpin about the teenage girl?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Everything That Rises Must Converge" offers a commentary on aging. Select two of the stories dealing with aging characters and write an essay:

1) describing the aging characters;

2) explaining the significance of their age on the story's plot;

3) explaining what commentary you think the author is making on aging.

Be sure to use specific examples from the stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

For each story in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" there is a "partner" story in the collection. Select two stories that you believe "fit" together and write an essay:

1) describing each story;

2) demonstrating how the two "fit" together;

3) explain what commentary the author is trying to make through these companion stories.

Be sure to use specific examples from the stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

One of the themes in the collection of short stories "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is morality. Select three of the stories dealing with this theme and:

1) explain what the story says about morality;

2) demonstrate how the theme is developed in the story.

Then explain what you think Flannery O'Connor's overall commentary on morality is in the novel as a whole.

Be sure to use specific examples from the stories to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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