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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. Why does August stop the story before the storyteller can finish?

2. Who comes for the narrator right at the end of the story?

3. What kind of animal joins Miss Finch and then circles around the circus audience?

4. Why does the narrator's passenger ask him to go back to the hotel?

5. How does the detective know that the narrator was in Afghanistan?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Runt decide to go into the farmhouse at the end of October's story?

2. Describe how the detective solves the mystery in 'A Study in Emerald.'

3. Why do you think the narrator gives up his old life, and why does he pretend to be the professor?

4. Who tells the story about the playhouse in 'Closing Time,' and what evidence is there that this person is the storyteller?

5. Describe the character of Miss Finch.

6. Is Amelia a sympathetic character?

7. In 'Bitter Grounds' why does the man become a demon?

8. In 'The Faery Reel,' what kind of place is fairyland?

9. Describe the steps that lead up to the narrator taking the professor's identity.

10. Is there a 'bad guy' in the story 'A Study in Emerald'?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of reality and fiction in these stories and poems. What are the differences between real life and stories? Why does the author keep returning to this theme?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss vampires in the short story collection 'Fifteen Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot.' How are vampires portrayed? What different kinds of vampires appear in the stories? Can vampires be viewed as symbols or metaphors for anything? Why is vampire fiction so popular?

Essay Topic 3

What is the meaning of the playhouse in the story 'Closing Time?' Is it evil? Does it represent or symbolize anything?

(see the answer keys)

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