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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. Which actor's suicide did Will's father obsess over?

2. What fruit does Allison tell Will she has just been eating when he arrives?

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

4. Who is Kitty waiting on before she goes to the greenhouse to get Allison?

5. Will thinks that you don't actually learn anything in life that you didn't already know at what age?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What psychological breakthrough does Will make as he sits in his car thinking?

3. How does Allison find Will?

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

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

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

7. What urgent message does Bernie have for Will when Will gets back home after being away in the cave and the greenhouse?

8. What forces Will to leave the cave?

9. Why does Will get into a fight with Kitty at the nursing home?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

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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