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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 Cookie tell Jimmy?

2. What do Jimmy and Crab eat when they stop?

3. What has Jimmy's intention been for the past few days?

4. Why did this person shift the blame to Crab?

5. What are Crab's plans after proving his innocence?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Jimmy live?

2. What is Jimmy's environment like?

3. What is Jimmy's situation with school?

4. What happens when Jimmy arrives in his classroom?

5. How does Crab explain having been arrested in spite of being innocent?

6. What is Jimmy's relationship with Mama Jean?

7. What makes Crab nervous when they stop?

8. What happens when Crab comes back to the car?

9. How did Crab come to see Jimmy?

10. Why was Crab in prison?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Crab's illness makes it impossible for him to play more than an episodic role in Jimmy's life. How else does his illness figure in the book? Is it a symbol or a metaphor? What does it symbolize? What clues does the author give us, that Crab's illness might mean more than just his individual sickness?

Essay Topic 2

What is the difference between North and South in "Somewhere in the Darkness"? How does that difference reflect the difference between Crab and Jimmy?

Essay Topic 3

Is "Somewhere in the Darkness" a quest novel, or just a novel about characters who wander around? In what way is it either one, or both? Does the fact that Crab does not accomplish his mission affect the nature of the book?

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This section contains 550 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample