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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 Will realize about the hunting accident with his father?

2. Even though she's with him because of his involvement with Allison, what does Kitty invite Will to do?

3. What does Will wear when he leaves the nursing home to get Allison from the greenhouse?

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

5. When they leave the greenhouse, what does Will realize he doesn't have?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What happened to the tiger skeleton that used to be in the cave?

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

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

6. What is the first thing Kitty says after Will recognizes her when she wakes him up in his car in the parking lot?

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

8. What happens to Will's guns at the end of the novel?

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

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

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

One of Walker Percy's main themes in the novel The Second Coming is identity. Discuss how the characters in the novel deal with their identities, using at least two characters to compare and contrast. Provide specific examples from the text to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

Several of the characters in the novel are very religious; two are men of the cloth. Discuss the significance of religion in the novel. Does religion help shape the plot? Does it play a major role in the character development? What about the central conflict of the novel? Does religion play a role in that as well?

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