View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do John and Fay eat for dinner in Chapter 9?

2. Who calls John at the beginning on Chapter 7?

3. What does Ruth demand immediately up entering Muddy's in Chapter 9?

4. Where do the Woodmoores put John to sleep in Chapter 12?

5. Who does the officer in the jail insist must bail out Carl in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Carl explain his arrest in Chapter 9?

2. Describe Taft's interaction with Tommy Lawson's son in Chapter 10?

3. How do Carl and John bond in Chapter 7?

4. What difficulty do John and Fay face in bailing Carl out in Chapter?

5. What does Fay ask John at dinner in Chapter 9?

6. What does Mrs. Woodmore request of John in Chapter 12?

7. How does John anger Ruth at the beginning of Chapter 7?

8. When does Fay surprise Taft in Chapter 10?

9. How is John shot in Chapter 11?

10. What confrontation do John and Carl have in Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Over the course of the novel, Carl Taft appears to be a dangerous and dynamic character. The reader experiences him at many points in his life. Write a three-part essay about the trajectory Carl Taft takes over the course of the novel:

Part 1) What is Carl's life like before his father dies? Discuss what he values in life and what challenges he faces. What does his father do to keep him in line? What mistakes does he make in his adolescent years?

Part 2) Discuss the significance of Taft's death in Carl's life. How is his experience of this tragedy different from his sister's and mother's? What makes it more painful for him, and what significant collapse occurs in his character before he leaves Coalfield?

Part 3) How does the world of Memphis prove horribly detrimental to Carl's life? Discuss how bad habits and addiction become near-suicidal in the larger city? What is Carl's low point and how is he partially redeemed by the end of 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

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,301 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample