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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 happens when the hiker puts his hand on Allison's thigh?

2. What time of day is hard for Allison?

3. Whose deathbed quote comes to Will's mind as he looks at himself in the Mercedes rearview mirror?

4. When Will and Allison leave the greenhouse, where does Will take her?

5. What does Will say when Jack suggests that he take up railroading?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Will take Allison when they leave the greenhouse?

2. What are the two things that Will has to tell Allison when he returns to the greenhouse?

3. What plan do Allison and Will make for their futures?

4. How does Allison find Will?

5. How does Allison feel about doing the errands that Will asks her to do?

6. When Will sees himself in the mirror of his Mercedes after leaving the greenhouse, what does he think he looks like?

7. After Will falls into the greenhouse, what is it that makes Allison think she knows who he is before she sees his face?

8. Why does Will end up needing to be in Dr. Vance's daily care?

9. When Will is thinking things over in his Mercedes, what does he decide the name of the century should be?

10. What skills do the three old guys who Will befriends in the convalescent home possess?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, the narrator's perspective changes. Discuss how Walker Percy uses narration to help shape his novel. Is it first person or third person narration? Who seems to be the main focus of the novel? How does the perspective shift? Is the narrator sympathetic to the main characters?

Essay Topic 2

What do you think the title, The Second Coming signifies? Write an essay explaining what you think the author is referring to in the title, providing examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Two of the main characters, Will and Allison, are both diagnosed with a form of mental illness in the novel. Discuss the theme of mental illness and how Walker Percy treats these two "mentally ill" characters versus the "mentally healthy" characters. What do you think this difference indicates about the author's position on the treatment of mentally ill patients? Use examples from the text and compare and contrast the treatment of Will and Allison with two other "mentally healthy" characters.

(see the answer keys)

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