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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 does "strawberry spring" refer to?

2. In The Ledge, what is Stan Norris' profession?

3. Why does Harold decide to hire someone to mow his lawn?

4. What special gift does Ed have?

5. What do the people nickname the killer in Strawberry Spring?

Short Essay Questions

1. What decision does Johnny struggle with in The Woman in the Room?

2. How does marital discord influence the story in Children of the Corn?

3. What convinces Morrison to quit smoking?

4. What is the symbol of the ladder in The Last Rung on the Ladder?

5. What does the ledge symbolize in the story The Ledge?

6. What does Children of the Corn suggest cornfields are a symbol of?

7. What has ironically turned into a source of danger in One for the Road and how?

8. What is Harold horrified to learn about the man he hired to mow his lawn in The Lawnmower Man?

9. Briefly describe Elizabeth's character in I Know What You Need.

10. What evidence points to the narrator of Strawberry Spring being the serial killer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several characters in different tales are shown to have a strong sense of morality shown in different ways. Compare and contrast characters who exemplify their morality, using references to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Several of the stories in Night Shift have narrators that the reader is led to believe might be unreliable, but later realize the narrator could be telling the truth. Discuss the concept of using the narrator as a tool to tell a story and the idea behind having an unreliable narrator, using examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Children of the Corn is an interesting tale, which touches upon the idea of cults and mass suicides. Research what cults are and how they are an extreme form of a man-made religion, as well as mass suicides in history. Then discuss how the story is a symbol of it and what message it tells the reader about cults.

(see the answer keys)

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