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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. Before leaving on his trip, who helps Ray tend to the field in the spring?

2. Why does Ray stop in Chicago on his road trip to New Hampshire?

3. Ray describes falling in love with Iowa as a religious experience, but why can't he talk about it?

4. In what state is Shoeless Joe seen playing in a "tenth rate commercial league"?

5. In the beginning of the book, how does Ray prevent his grass from being ruined in a freeze?

Short Essay Questions

1. While at the Minneapolis Twins ballpark, what does Ray ask Salinger and Archie?

2. Overall, Shoeless Joe is a novel about baseball. However, it is more than baseball. What is baseball a metaphor for?

3. Where is Eddie buried? Why?

4. As Ray and Salinger leave Chisholm, who do they pick up?

5. When a policeman pulls Ray over, why doesn't JD Salinger tell the officer that he has been kidnapped by Ray?

6. Ray received directions from a "voice." What directions did he receive and did he complete his tasks?

7. At the beginning of the novel, would you describe Ray's farming as a commercial success? Why or why not?

8. Explain the symbolism of doors in The Rapture of J.D. Salinger.

9. Who is Eddie Scissons? What is his relationship to Ray?

10. At the end of the novel, why does Ray feel that he should be asked to go with the baseball players through the outfield fence?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A major theme in the novel, Shoeless Joe, is that of redemption. In an essay, analyze this theme in the novel. Who receives redemption? How do they receive it?

Essay Topic 2

Overall, W.P. Kinsella wants the reader to believe in a simpler time where all was good. Was all truly good in the world at this time? For whom was it an unequal time?

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes, an author's bias about an event comes through in their writing. In an essay, evaluate W.P. Kinsella's stance Use examples from the text to support your thesis.

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