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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 Lewis Peckham show Will when they are looking for one of his out of bounds balls?

2. What does Allison tell Dr. Duk she was trying to do when her mother found her in the closet?

3. During the fivesome golf game, what unusual thing does Will find himself doing with his golf club when he is hunting for his out of bounds ball?

4. What present does Will bring Allison when he comes back to visit her at the greenhouse?

5. When Allison remembers her last visit with Dr. Duk, what does he tell her he wants to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Allison and Will meet the first time?

2. What is the first time Will Barrett's deceased wife is mentioned?

3. What does Will think his father was trying to tell him on that hunting trip?

4. Why doesn't Will do anything about the poacher on his land?

5. What makes Allison feel like she needs to move quickly to get the stove into the greenhouse?

6. What does the story about the man who survives the plane crash mean to Allison?

7. What restores the "missing ninety-eight percent" of Will's personality?

8. What is it that Will Barrett realizes when he falls down during the golf game at the opening of the novel?

9. What does Jimmy Rogers do during the golf game to annoy Will?

10. Why does Will choose Sutter Vaught to be the beneficiary of his life insurance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Will often refers to the exodus of the Jews from North Carolina as a sign. How does Walker Percy use this motif in the novel? What does Will's fixation with the Jews signify in his personal life? What does it come to mean to the reader? Write an essay in which you discuss the motif and the ways in which the author uses the motif to develop Will's character.

Essay Topic 2

Will and Allison are both attuned to nature, noticing clouds, grass, trees, birds, ants, and so on, throughout the course of the novel. Discuss Walker Percy's use of nature in the novel and how the appreciation of nature contributes to Will and Allison's characters.

Essay Topic 3

Dysfunctional relationships abound in the novel, The Second Coming, from the relationship that Will had with his recently deceased wife, Marion, to Allison's parents, Kitty and Walter's relationship. Will and Allison are understandably hesitant about the idea of love and marriage. Write an essay discussing the theme of love and marriage in the novel, comparing the views of several characters on love and marriage. Choose at least three characters to compare and contrast, providing examples from the text to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

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