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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. When was the Duke Estate destroyed?

2. What did Leach throw at Thompson in the kitchen?

3. Who had failed in discussing the Packers?

4. What brand of liquor was Leach carrying when he opened the door?

5. Who called on the telephone for the second narrator in "Screwjack"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the use of imagery in "Death of a Poet." What images are symbolic in the story? How?

2. How is the narrative style of "Screwjack" similar to the other stories in the collection? How does it differ?

3. What other work had Thompson written centering on the character F.X. Leach?

4. What lines open "Death of a Poet"? To whom are they attributed?

5. What startling sight did the narrator find in the kitchen in "Death of a Poet"?

6. How does the narrative point of view change in "Screwjack"?

7. Where had the narrator arrived in "Death of a Poet"? What did he see upon arrival?

8. What happened when Duke threw Screwjack out?

9. Who is described in the beginning of the letter in "Screwjack"?

10. How did Duke's pleas to God change in "Screwjack"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the character of F. X. Leach in "Death of a Poet." In what other works had Thompson used Leach? What plot similarities were there?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Oscar in "Mescalito." What role did Oscar serve in the plot of the narrative? What did he represent symbolically to Thompson?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the narrative structure of "Death of a Poet." How does the narrative point of view in this story differ from the other selections in Screw-jack?

(see the answer keys)

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