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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. How does Tommy describe his relationship to Maggie in Chapter 13?

2. What does Tommy consider Maggie to be for him in the narrative in Chapter 13?

3. At whose house is the card game taking place in Chapter 11?

4. Who is in the backseat of Joe Dale's car in Chapter 12?

5. Who is talking about claiming the Mahdi at the next race, according to Vernon in Chapter 17?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the theme of fear developed in Chapter 10?

2. What is noteworthy regarding Tommy's behavior toward Maggie in Chapter 10?

3. When is Lord of Misrule set? What indications in the novel reveal the time period of the story?

4. How does Tommy's behavior toward Maggie change in Chapter 16? What is significant about this change in his behavior?

5. What comparisons does Two-Tie make to the card players at his house in Chapter 11?

6. What is contained in Medicine Ed's red velvet bag? What is the purpose of this concoction?

7. How is the horse named Little Spinoza regarded by the main characters in the novel?

8. What demand does Two-Tie make of Vernon during their phone conversation in Chapter 17? Why does he make this demand?

9. Why do Tommy's finances concern Medicine Ed?

10. What is a hot walking machine? What does this apparatus symbolize in the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the differences between the racetrack lifestyle and the lifestyle that Maggie had prior to coming to the track. How would you characterize the morals of the racetrack world? What draws these characters into this world and how does the world of horse racing change them?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Joe Dale Bigg in Lord of Misrule. Is Joe Dale a protagonist or an antagonist? Why? In what ways does Joe Dale's character drive the plot of the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of aging and death in the novel. How does the author develop these themes through the horses at the track? How is the theme developed through character and imagery? What characters face death in the story?

(see the answer keys)

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