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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 Culla see as he pulls the ladder up to the barn to work?

2. When does the vendor find the baby?

3. What does the unnamed man dream as the story begins?

4. At whose home does Culla ask for a job?

5. How does the family travel to town?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does McCarthy introduce the tinker in the story?

2. What is the condition of the man's sister inside the cabin?

3. Who does Rinthy go in search of in the town she travels to with the family?

4. What medical help does the doctor provide to Rinthy?

5. What does the tinker do when he first finds the baby?

6. Who are the three men who rescue Culla on the riverbank?

7. What sentence does Culla receive from the man and what unusual request does Culla end up making of the man?

8. Why is Culla forced to walk to another cabin at gunpoint?

9. What does the man in the woods notice about Culla?

10. How does the wise old woman know that Rinthy just had a baby?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

OUTER DARK is written in the Southern Gothic style. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of greed. Identify at least two examples about greed in the book. Then explain how each example supports the theme of greed.

Essay Topic 3

Nature takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

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This section contains 846 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample