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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Henry's original feeling toward Thorpe's Fornits story?
(a) He found it ridiculous.
(b) He found it humorous.
(c) He found it frightening.
(d) He found it discomfiting.

2. What happens to the dog that gave Henry his paw to shake?
(a) It is taken away by the dog catcher.
(b) It dies.
(c) It goes mad.
(d) It becomes Henry's pet.

3. Richard Pine's story details the accounts of whom?
(a) An embezzling real estate manager.
(b) A common handyman.
(c) A survivor of WWII.
(d) A disgraced surgeon.

4. In what room of the museum is the looking glass kept?
(a) The upper floor gables room.
(b) The attic.
(c) The special exhibition room.
(d) The courtesan library.

5. Why does Greer feel that Henry is headed for a breakdown?
(a) Henry's brothers and sisters all went mad.
(b) Henry is despondent over his role in the death of a child in Bombay.
(c) Henry can't seem to get his life together.
(d) Henry's wife and children died from a plague he brought home from Bombay.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does George's mother say his Gramma turned toward behavior that caused people to talk?

2. Who is Spike?

3. What happens to McCutchson?

4. How many people are celebrating in "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet"?

5. What happens when George tries to cover Gramma with a sheet?

Short Essay Questions

1. Foreshadowing is when an event early in the story hints at an event to take place later in the story. Find an example of foreshadowing in "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands." Cite the foreshadowing event and the event it foreshadows.

2. What is an example of a metaphor used in "Beachworld" and what comparison is it trying to convey?

3. Uncle Otto's business partner, George, was killed in an accident involving Otto's truck. Most people believe that Otto killed George over a business disagreement. Given the circumstances of the ending, do you think it was Uncle Otto or Uncle Otto's truck that killed George and why?

4. Children are often frightened by elderly relatives. Everything about them seems foreign and frightening. Do you think George's fear of Gramma was instinctual or merely the usual fear a child has of older people?

5. At the end of "Nona," the narrator is surrounded by rats, and Nona herself turns into a huge, disgusting rat. The narrator then embraces the rat and indicates that he is planning suicide. What do you think this story is really about?

6. Rumor had it that Gramma was a witch and apparently became one because she could not carry a baby to term. Do you think Gramma was justified to dabble in witchcraft to attain her dream?

7. What is an example of personification in the story "Beachworld"? How does it affect the story? Explain why you chose this example.

8. There is a rumor in the family that Gramma did something to Franklin to make him die. Do you think the family is just overreacting to their guilt and loss by blaming it on Gramma?

9. Rocky seems to be a bit of an intimidator himself. Though it is long past closing time, he coerces his friend into giving his car an inspection sticker. What do you think this says about Rocky?

10. In "Nona," an innocent and once-upstanding man falls prey to the wiles of a sadistic, evil woman. Giving in to his "darker" side, he performs obscene, despicable acts at the whim of Nona. What do you think King is trying to say with this short story?

(see the answer keys)

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