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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 is Helen doing when Carey arrives at her house?

2. Why does Peyton leave the family celebration early?

3. Why does the funeral party stop at a gas station?

4. Why does the person in #100 have an emotional outburst?

5. What does Helen reveal to Carey at Peyton's wedding?

Short Essay Questions

1. What trip do Helen and Maudie take in November of 1942?

2. Why does Carey find it difficult to minister to Helen?

3. Why is Helen so angry with Peyton and Milton on Peyton's wedding day?

4. In addition to the other parent/child relationships in the novel, how does Carey Carr's personal story fit in?

5. What was the nature of Helen's meeting with Dolly at the tearoom?

6. What news does Helen have about Maudie and why is she so angry at Milton and Peyton when they finally return to the hospital?

7. What is the nature of Christmas 1941 in the Loftis household?

8. What does Carey recall about the Loftises a year after Maudie's death?

9. Does Helen seek out Carey for her belief in God or something else?

10. How does Peyton and Harry's first night as a married couple mirror Milton and Helen's marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of love. Identify at least two themes about love in the book. Then cite an example to support each theme you name.

Essay Topic 2

There is much symbolism in this story regarding the alarm clock. What does the alarm clock symbolize for the story? What does it symbolize for Peyton in particular? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Describe the overall setting for the novel. Why does Styron use the setting he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

(see the answer keys)

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