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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. What will eventually happen to the sufferer?

2. Where does Missy take Harlequin's gift?

3. What does Becky make out of plasticine?

4. When the author suddenly finds himself back in the 70s, what happens?

5. What is the only sound left in the garden at the end of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways is 'In The End' a reversal of the creation story in Genesis?

2. Why does the father in 'Locks' feel that we owe it to ourselves to tell each other stories?

3. How does Missy get the better of Harlequin?

4. Is 'In the End' a hopeful story or a sad one?

5. How does the father in 'Locks' interpret the story differently from his two-year-old child?

6. Based on this story, how do you think the author feels about the problem of Susan?

7. What might the plasticine gargoyle symbolize?

8. What kind of beings are Wain's Wain and the second girl whom Enn talks to?

9. In 'The Day the Saucer's Came' why does the person in the poem not notice such incredible events?

10. In the story 'Goliath,' what is real and what is not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of childhood innocence and growing up in two stories or poems of your choice from the collection. Compare the messages given by the author in each one.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of evil and monsters in the poems and stories in this collection. Pay particular attention to the stories 'Keepsakes and Treasures,' 'How Do You Think it Feels?' and 'The Monarch of the Glen." Also, bring in any other stories and poems you like as well. What does the author have to say about evil and human nature? Do you agree with him?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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