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. How does Lila make Pat feel uncomfortable?

2. What did Pat Cosgrove go to jail for?

3. Where do Doc and Pat visit Myrtle?

4. Who offers Pat a job?

5. Why is Pat ineligible for parole?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Pat think about while visiting the diner the second time?

2. Why doesn't Madeline share her life story with Pat?

3. Is the parole officer good at his job? Use evidence from the story to support your opinion.

4. How does Pat get his job at the Highway Commission?

5. What is the purpose of the plan Doc is hatching?

6. What does Pat reveal to Madeline and the parole officer in Chapter 12? Why does he do this?

7. Why was Pat tried as an adult instead of a juvenile when he was seventeen?

8. After Doc picks Pat up from prison, they stop at a roadhouse diner. What bombshell does Doc drop on Pat at the diner?

9. What documents is Doc looking at in Chapter 1?

10. Is Pat an intelligent character? Support your answer with evidence from the first five chapters.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss politics in "Recoil." Is it portrayed in a positive or negative light? How does it affect our protagonist?

Essay Topic 2

How are the central female characters portrayed in the novel? What role do Madeline, Lila Luther, and Myrtle Briscoe play in the development of the plot?

Essay Topic 3

How is seduction used as a tool in "Recoil"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 518 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample