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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 viewpoint does the author take when he tells us about Roy's declaration and what it might lead to?

2. How does Roy feel when he becomes the team hero, making news stories and filling sports columns with his achievements?

3. What does Roy dream of the first night with the Knights as he drifts off to sleep?

4. What does Pop ask Roy to do after he gets upset with Bump for his poor playing?

5. How does Roy relate to Pop?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Memo treat Roy after the fans declare him a hero.

2. Discuss Memo's reaction to Roy and how is changed over the course of this chapter (Chapter 4).

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

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

5. What happens when Roy goes to visit Memo in her hotel room and finds Gus there?

6. What problem does Pop Fisher have with his pitcher, Fowler, and how does that affect the games?

7. How does Roy respond when the fans begin supporting him during the Knights' wins, after having rejected him all through his slump? How does his reaction change?

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

9. What does The Judge do when Roy asks him for a raise?

10. What is significant about the white rose that Harriet carries?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Age is a recurring theme in The Natural. Discuss how age enters into both the story and into the probable author's purpose. Use examples from the novel to prove your point. Include how Roy is alike/different at age fifteen and thirty-four.

Essay Topic 2

Why does Roy reject the locker-room lecture and hypnotism of Doc Knobb? How do the other Knights regard Doc Knobb? Give examples from the text to defend your answer.

Essay Topic 3

The characters in The Natural are all somewhat "damaged." Discuss what this might show about Malamud's outlook on life in general and also on his perspective of baseball. What might the reader surmise from the way Malamud handles the character's weaknesses?

(see the answer keys)

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