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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 is Mr. Woodmoore's career?

2. In Chapter 1, what is John doing to fend off depression?

3. What question does Fay ask John that makes him uncomfortable in Chapter 5?

4. Where does Levon work as a night security guard?

5. Why does John offer to drive Fay home in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does John imagine at the end of Chapter 4?

2. Why did John Nickel leave Marion?

3. What is the nature of Ruth and John's visit together in the midst of Chapter 6?

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

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

6. In Chapter 2, what does Fay reveal to John about herself?

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

8. What role does Carl play at Muddy's as time does on?

9. Why does John call Ruth in Chapter 6?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about Levon Taft, and how he is largely a creation of John Nickel's imagination. Why would John Nickel become fixated on Taft? How does he become aware of Taft's existence and death? Discuss the origin of the information in the Taft narrative: his first name, his car, and his various jobs. When would John have heard about these details? Discuss how the final chapter involves John's complete immersion in a Taft construction.

Essay Topic 2

The world of "Taft" is - for much of the novel - the world of Muddy's, the bar John Nickel runs. This microcosm of Memphis is created by the individuals that populate it. Write an essay about three characters that populate Muddy's. How would you describe each character? What role does each play in the plot? Is this a sympathetic individual? What does this character add to the setting of the novel?

Part 1) Rose

Part 2) Cyndi

Part 3) Wallace

Essay Topic 3

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?

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