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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 is the name of Randolph's mother?

2. What does the eccentric hermit that Joel meets delivering to Zoo in Chapter 5?

3. Who does Joel ask questions about to Amy that she ignores in Chapter 2?

4. What color hair does the woman Joel sees in the window at the end of Chapter 2 have?

5. While Amy plays music in Chapter 4, what does Randolf whisper to Joel?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the nature of Joel's first conversation with Florabel?

2. How are Joel and Idabel's bathing in the river described?

3. What is the nature of Joel and Florabel's conversation in Chapter 5?

4. Why does Joel take refuge in an abandoned house in Chapter 11?

5. How does Randolph ask Joel to bring him water in Chapter 6?

6. What does Randolph do towards Joel while Amy plays the pianola?

7. What is the nature of Joel and Idabel's interaction at the beginning of Chapter 7?

8. What does Zoo do after Jesus Fever dies?

9. How does Randolph describe his feelings towards Pepe Alvarez to Joel?

10. How does Idabel describe a tombstone that reads "Toby, killed by the cat" to Joel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The notion of superstition is one that is frequently brought up in the book and plays a role in Joel's life at the Landing.

Part 1.) What can the reader learn about the importance of superstition in the local culture based on characters like Little Sunshine?

Part 2.) What symbolism can be found in the representation of superstitious practices and charms in the book?

Part 3.) How is the presence of superstition significant to Joel's journey from normalcy to bizarre in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the author's portrayal of the stream of consciousness in the book. What might the author be saying about the reasons for Joel's inability to accept his true self based on the portrayal of his stream of consciousness in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's portrayal of family in the book. What about the author's tendency to paint a flawed portrait of family in the book suggest about his own feelings towards the nature of familial bonds?

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