View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What city has the ghost been summoned to?

2. Which two souls does Zane decide not to classify?

3. What is Mars the personification of?

4. What will death's shoes allow Zane to walk on?

5. Why is no music allowed in the nursing home?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Zane get together a performance for the old man?

2. Why does the Magician say he is pleased to be spending time in Purgatory?

3. What mistakes does Zane realize he is making in Chapter 3?

4. Why is Zane pleased to see the social services outside the nursing home?

5. Why does the Old Man remind Zane of his mother?

6. In what way does Zane's first encounter with Death show the positive sides of his job?

7. What role did the magician have in Zane becoming Death?

8. What realization does Zane come to by the end of the chapter?

9. What does Zane find out about time in this chapter?

10. How does Death's bracelet help Zane?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what way does Anthony's idea of Hell differ from other representations of Hell? How does Anthony use the Hell setting to make a point about 1980s society?

Essay Topic 2

What are the arguments for and against religion? What are Anthony's opinions on religion and how does he express them? Do you agree or disagree with Anthony?

Essay Topic 3

The author wrote ON A PALE HORSE in the third person. Why do you think the author chose to write the story in the third person? How do you think the meaning of the story would change if the author wrote it in the first person?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 655 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample