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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. How does John say he knows Carl at the jail in Chapter 9?

2. Which character dies over the course of the novel?

3. Why do Mr. and Mrs. Woodmoore keep quiet in the house after the wounded John arrives in Chapter 11?

4. How much does the mechanic want to simply patch the car up in Chapter 10?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What assessment does the mechanic in Chapter 10 make regarding Taft's car?

2. How does Taft die in Chapter 12?

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

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

5. Why is John deeply gladdened by his morning with Marion and Franklin in Chapter 11?

6. What is John's catharsis at the end of Taft?

7. How does Marion's friend, the doctor, help John in Chapter 11?

8. What do John and Franklin do together at the end of Chapter 8?

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

10. What does Wallace tell John about Carl in Chapter 8?

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

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 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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