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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 another name for the person in #19?

2. How does Culla elude the men?

3. Where is Culla when the group of men spots him?

4. In what type of house does the unnamed man live?

5. Who or what does the person in #19 find in the woods?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to the squire as he rides in search of Culla?

2. What do the tinker and the woman at his store decide to do with the baby?

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

4. What is the irony of Rinthy's sleeping by the campfire?

5. Where does Rinthy follow the tinker in the hopes of finding her baby?

6. What happens to the good boots that Culla is wearing?

7. How does the unnamed man get the tinker to leave the cabin?

8. Who provides Culla with a small job and what other kindness does he show Culla?

9. What reason does Culla give the old man for why he needs to move on?

10. How does Culla get rescued when the ferryboat runs out of control?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define the Southern Gothic genre of literature. Why does McCarthy's OUTER DARK fit into the Southern Gothic category? Give examples to support your claim.

Essay Topic 2

McCarthy does not identify Culla and Rinthy by name until the story has progressed for awhile. Why does McCarthy leave them nameless for awhile? What is he trying to say about their situation by leaving them nameless?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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This section contains 852 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample