View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "The Lame Shall Enter First," why does Rufus not want the shoe Sheppard has made for him?

2. In the story "Greenleaf," who does the bull belong to?

3. In the story "Revelation," what does the teenage girl call Mrs. Turpin?

4. In the story "Judgment Day," what does Tanner do to keep his hands from shaking?

5. In the story "Revelation," why is Claud visiting the doctor?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the story "Revelation," what does Mrs. Turpin say is the problem with farming cotton?

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

3. In the story "Judgement Day," how does Tanner die?

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

5. In "The Lame Shall Enter First," why is Sheppard bothered by his son eating cake for breakfast?

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

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

8. In "The Lame Shall Enter First," what draws Sheppard to Rufus Johnson?

9. In the story "Judgment Day," what do the two notes that Tanner writes instruct their readers to do?

10. Describe Julian's mother's hat in the story "Everything That Rises Must Converge."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the titles of the stories in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" have multiple meanings that relate to the story's theme. Select one of the stories in the collection and:

1) explain what the story's title means in relation to the story's plot;

2) demonstrate how the concept is developed in the story;

3) explain why the author chose to offer these multiple layers of meaning about the title.

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

Essay Topic 2

Several of the stories in this collection feature mothers and sons. Select two of the stories with mother and son characters and:

1) describe the relationship between the mother and son;

2) explain how the two affect each other;

3) explain what you think the author is trying to say about mother-son relationships through these two stories.

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

Essay Topic 3

Flashbacks play an important role in the development of characters in this novel. Choose two of the flashbacks presented in the novel and:

1) describe each flashback;

2) describe the significance of the flashback on the person remembering the scene;

3) analyze the placement of this flashback at this point in the narrative--why does the author choose to include the flashback at this point in the story?

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,094 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample