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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 sounds collided with the screams at the end of the story?

2. What gifts did the man's mother give the little boy for Christmas the year they built a higher wall?

3. What did the housemaid say to the woman who hung about the suburbs looking for work?

4. What does the man say cats always do, so they need not worry about him getting hurt on the new fencing?

5. Who runs out of the house second and finds the boy at the end of the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who helps remove the little boy at the end of the story? How do they do it?

2. Describe the various security options the man and woman noticed during their neighborhood walk.

3. What did the wife do for the people who hung around looking for work outside their home? What did the housemaid think of them?

4. Why were homeowners particularly crushed when intruders drank their single malt scotch?

5. Describe what would likely happen should someone attempt to climb the wall with the serrated metal coils installed?

6. How did the son end up getting entangled in the new security fence at the end of the story?

7. What does the wife tell her husband she is worried after installing the serrated metal coils around their wall?

8. Rather than noting lovely roses and gardens, what did the man and woman begin to admire during their neighborhood walks with their son and dog?

9. Despite thinking it the ugliest, what option did the man and woman choose to enhance security after building a higher wall?

10. After building a higher wall, what did the man and woman notice the cat doing one night while discussing the latest robberies?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a detailed analysis of tone in Gordimer's “Once Upon a Time.” Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

Essay Topic 2

Look at the structure of the story. How does the author use character and dialogue to drive the narrative?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining the ending of “Once Upon a Time.” How did the ending fit into the storyline? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 743 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample