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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 is the narrator pulled out of the Matrix?

2. What does the professor say being left behind meant for her?

3. What does the serpent do with it?

4. What are the man and woman called?

5. In 'Temperance' what does the vampire say Chinese vampires drink instead of blood?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the narrator's attempts to find Scarlet in 'Pages from a Journal...'

2. Describe how the disease progresses in Disease Maker's Croup.

3. How does Missy get the better of Harlequin?

4. What makes it clear that the author of 'Disease Maker's Croup' is suffering from the disease himself?

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

6. Do the machines feel emotion?

7. Do you think Miss Corvier is supernatural or a normal but disturbed human?

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

9. Why do you think Eddie Barrow lets himself be eaten in 'Feeders and Eaters'? Does he have a choice?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In some of the stories and poems in this collection, the author plays with characters and stories that belong to other authors and other books. Discuss one or two of these, and explain what he has changed and what he has left the same. Has he included any surprises or twists? Is the story or poem effective, or does it seem to have deviated too much from the feel of the original? What is the author trying to achieve with these stories? Stories and poems you could choose to discuss include 'A Study in Emerald,' 'Harlequin Valentine,' 'The Problem of Susan,' 'Goliath' and 'Inventing Aladdin.'

Essay Topic 2

The author often uses storytelling with first person narrators to tell his stories and poems. In which stories and poems does he do this, and why? What effect does this create? How does it complement the story that is being told?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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