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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 Joe Christmas' biggest secret?

2. Who is the other man who shows up unexpectedly at the mill for a job?

3. Who is Lena's brother?

4. Lena asks Byron if Joe Brown has a _________ by his mouth.

5. Why has Lena left Doane's Mill?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Byron Bunch's first impressions of Joe Christmas?

2. Why does Christmas wish that McEachern would discover his absence in the house this night and try to stop him?

3. What internal conflict does Christmas begin to experience this night?

4. Why does Christmas sleep in the stables that night?

5. Why does Christmas know that something is going to happen to him on this night?

6. What drives Lena to keep moving on her quest?

7. Why does the fourteen-year-old Christmas beat the Negro girl instead of having sex with her like the other boys do?

8. How do the other men at the planing mill learn more about Christmas' background?

9. Why does Christmas take Mrs. McEachern's hidden money as she watches him do it?

10. Why does Christmas lose control when he sees Bobbie with another man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Does Faulkner end the novel on a note of hope or the continuance of the futility of man's struggle to understand his existence? Explain

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of the month of August in the book? What does its position in the year symbolize. The month of August is especially poignant for a few characters. Who are they and what does August mean for them?

Essay Topic 3

Faulkner is a master at literary devices. Choose three examples of symbolism, metaphors, etc., and briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 640 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample