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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 Roy feel about The Judge wanting to push Pop out of his job?

2. What happens to Roy after Bump gets injured and dies?

3. How many years had pass before Roy Hobbs comes to play baseball again?

4. What is the Judge's plans for the Knights?

5. Where does The Judge get his money?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens that frightens Roy when he and Memo go on their country drive?

2. What does Memo talk about on her ride in the country with Roy?

3. When she visits Roy in Boston, what excuse does Memo give for rejecting Roy during his earlier slump?

4. Shortly before the pennant game, what does Pop get angry with Roy about and what does he do about it?

5. What did Roy see immediately after he beat up The Judge and left the tower where he was?

6. At the beginning of the pennant game, Pop came to Roy to talk about his being benched. What did he tell Roy?

7. A lady in red appears to Roy, but it is not clear if it is in a dream or reality. The lady in red, whether a dream or not, points out something to the reader. What is that fact?

8. What event happens to cause Roy to get out of his slump (more than hitting a home run).

9. When Roy is teased about his bat being white, he makes the comment that it is the bat's true color. What does the color white indicate, and how does this apply to Roy's bat?

10. Discuss the reaction of the fans when The Judge refuses to give Roy a raise. What do they do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Malamud paints the ballplayers as "larger than life" in the novel. Discuss passages in the book where the reader can see ballplayers rendered in a majestic, larger-than-life, or deity-like manner.

Essay Topic 2

Malamud wrote, "Sometimes as he watched the ball soar, it seemed to him all circles, and he was mystified at his devotion to hacking at it, for he had never really liked the sight of a circle. They got you nowhere but back to the place where you were to begin with." Discuss ways in which Roy travels in a circle, going nowhere but coming back to where he started from. Give examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

There are several issues related to responsibility and moral integrity that Roy must face. Discuss them fully, supporting your ideas from the text.

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