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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 John's concern regarding his applicant in Chapter 1?
2. At the Rum Boogie Cafe, John is certain he will have sex with a woman despite what?
3. How is Franklin hurt at the end of Chapter 1?
4. What is Carl wearing in Chapter 6?
5. In Chapter 3, John notices that Carl does not have what?
Short Essay Questions
1. In what state is Cyndi on the second night of Chapter 3?
2. Describe the interchange between John and Fay in Chapter 5.
3. What happened to the Taft family after the patriarch's death?
4. Why do Taft's in-laws get annoyed at Carl in Chapter 6?
5. What does John reason about the Taft house in the beginning of Chapter 4?
6. Describe the frantic call that John gets at the end of the Chapter 1?
7. How does Ruth interact with Fay and John in Chapter 6?
8. What do John and Fay do at the battlefield in Chapter 4?
9. Describe the interchange John has with Cyndi in Chapter 4?
10. Describe John Nickel's experience at the Rum Boogie Cafe.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
The novel of "Taft" is about two fathers and the children they fear losing. Each of the central figures is concerned that he is the only thing standing between his child and the dark, vicious world around them. Write a three-part essay about the children of these fathers and how losing a paternal figure affects them:
Part 1) Discuss the concerns that Levon Taft has for Fay. What does he worry Fay is not prepared for in the wide world? What plans does he make in his final days to bring her closer? What does Fay do after Taft's death to attempt to hold the family together? How does she crumble in the wake of the tragedy?
Part 2) Compare Carl's collapse after Taft's death to Fay's. How did her experience this tragedy differently? How was he already unpredictable? Discuss the depths to which Carl falls after his father's death, and where it ends?
Part 3) How does Franklin's life change after he is taken away from his father? How does John fear his son is in danger? Discuss the ways in which Franklin and John fear separation and fight to reunite through the novel.
Essay Topic 2
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 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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This section contains 1,175 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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