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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. Why is John angry at the beginning of Chapter 6?

2. Where did Fay work in Coalfield?

3. What does Carl say to John at the end of Chapter 5?

4. Who threatened John when he visited Franklin in the nursery for the first time?

5. Who apologizes to John before he leaves to pick up Fay in Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the frantic call that John gets at the end of the Chapter 1?

2. How does Ruth interact with Fay and John in Chapter 6?

3. What does John reason about the Taft house in the beginning of Chapter 4?

4. How does Fay describe her family to John In Chapter 6?

5. What interchange do Fay and John have before parting in Chapter 4?

6. Describe the interchange John has with Cyndi in Chapter 4?

7. In what state is Carl when John and Fay find him in Chapter 3?

8. In what state is Cyndi on the second night of Chapter 3?

9. How does John feel about Fay's neighborhood in Chapter 3?

10. What does John learn about Marion at dinner in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the dark worldview that exists in the novel. Citing specific examples from the text, discuss in what respect the world of Taft is dangerous, particularly to children. How are the innocent in danger throughout the novel, and what misfortunes befall them? Focusing on Fay and Carl Taft, chart the way naïve figures face the world's challenges. How do these experiences reflect on the prospect of Franklin growing up without a father?

Essay Topic 2

The narratives of "Taft" take place in two towns: Memphis and Coalfield. In an essay, compare the way that these two towns are portrayed in the novel. What abstract ideas and movements are represented by the towns? How does Patchett forge a tone in the novel for each of these settings? Discuss the characters that come from each town. How are their objectives and values similar and different? Do they come into conflict?

Essay Topic 3

"Taft" is a story of two fathers: Levon Taft and John Nickel. Compare these two protagonists in an essay. What flaws does each father have? How does the author make clear to the reader that both Taft and John are, at heart, good men? Which struggles do the men share, and what problems are unique to each? Discuss the way each man's arc is a commentary on the other.

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