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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. Who is the teenager that Leroy buys weed from in “Shiloh”?

2. What kind of store does the narrator of “Offerings” say Joe Stamper owned and ran?

3. Sandra’s husband is in Louisville working where in “Offerings”?

4. What did Mack make for Mary Lou for their twenty-fifth anniversary from scrap pine in “The Rookers”?

5. In what state do Mary Lou and her husband Mack live in “The Rookers”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What memories of her grandmother’s farm does Sandra recollect in “Offerings”?

2. How long has Carolyn been divorced in “Drawing Names”? How has this impacted her family Christmas visits?

3. How are the characters of Norma Jean and Leroy described in “Shiloh”?

4. How is Petey’s character described in “The Climber”?

5. How is Sandra’s character described in the beginning of “Offerings”?

6. What constitutes the basic plot line of “Shiloh”? What is the story essentially about?

7. What memento does Cleo find at the end of “Old Things”? What does this make her think of?

8. What appointment is Dolores worried about in “The Climber”?

9. What examples are given of Dusty’s tendencies to overreact in “The Climber”?

10. How is Peggy Wilson described in “Still Life with Watermelon”? What is her relationship to Louise Milsap?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze and discuss the language style of the various stories in the collection. Does the author employ dialect when the characters speak? What is revealed about the characters in the anthology through their use of language? How well do you relate to the characters’ use of language?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Louise’s personal journey in “Still Life with Watermelon.” What does Louise gain understanding of in the ending of the story? What are the story’s central themes? How do these themes relate to Louise’s journey?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the setting of “The Rookers.” What imagery and symbolism does the author imbue in the setting of the story? In what ways is Mary Lou’s card table symbolic? What does it represent to Mary Lou?

(see the answer keys)

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