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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 does Abbott call the gradual wearing away of healthy aspects of one's psychology?

2. What does Abbott say he dreamed about in his hotel room?

3. What mentality does Abbott say the guards have?

4. What drug is Abbott give to stop him from hallucinating?

5. What is the name of the prisoner Abbott recalls in this section?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do his fellow inmates save Abbott from starvation?

2. How does Abbott fight the tedium of solitary confinement?

3. What crimes does Abbott say he committed?

4. What is the policeman mentality?

5. What is a punk?

6. What happened to Abbott when he tried to run away from the juvenile center?

7. Why does Abbott compare the Hole to a coffin?

8. Why does Abbott say Pigs are so dangerous?

9. Who are pigs?

10. Why does Abbott say he continuously violates prison rules?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are Abbott's political beliefs and how do you think these beliefs developed? Considering he has spent all his life in prison, how legitimate are Abbott's beliefs?

Essay Topic 2

Who was Gary Gilmore and why does Abbott talk about him in his letters? Why does Abbott feel able to distance himself from Gilmore's crimes and beliefs?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the story?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 620 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample