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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 happens to Roy because of Doc Knobb's help?

2. What does Roy do that gains Memo's approval and laughter?

3. What does Sam dream that foretells what will happen to him?

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

5. What does Doc Knobb do that is supposed to help the players win?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Roy reveal to Harriet and what results from that revelation?

2. When Roy goes to see a fortune teller when he is in his big slump, she tells him he will meet a beautiful brunette. What is Roy's reaction?

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

4. How did Roy feel about accepting The Judge's offer and what did he do?

5. What reason did Iris give for standing up in the stands and cheering for Roy?

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

7. What was Roy's reaction when the young newspaper boy asked him if the headlines were true?

8. Discuss the irony that Malamud uses in naming the characters Goodwill Banner and Max Mercy.

9. How does Iris feel about Roy when she meets him in person, and why?

10. What did Roy reveal to Iris about his life when they went driving after she cheered him on?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Iris tells Hobbs that everyone has two lives to live. What are the two lives revealed in the novel? Illustrate your answer with examples from the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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