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. Who tells the viewing audience about Harvey Dent's dollar coin?

2. What does Batman want to know about the character he is chasing off the roof tops?

3. The first night of his return, Batman races through the rain the night of the big storm. What does he describe the rain as?

4. Why do the muggers stop attacking Bruce Wayne?

5. After visiting an old friend at the beginning of the novel, where does Bruce Wayne leave his car?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolic significance of the split panels for the illustrations in the scene before Harvey Dent's new face is revealed?

2. When Commissioner Gordon and Bruce Wayne talk over drinks, what is the significance of Bruce Wayne referring to himself in the third person?

3. When Commissioner Gordon is attacked by a member of the Mutants gang, why does thinking of his wife Sarah make it easy for him to fight back?

4. In what ways are the soaring high temperatures symbolic of the violence in Gotham City?

5. How does Batman's age affect his body during the initial nights of his return?

6. When Batman has the Mutants' leader in his gun scope, why does Batman not blast the Mutants' leader and eliminate the gang altogether?

7. One of the criminals Batman hurt attempts to sue him and asks the Gotham City Police to press charges against him. What is the irony of these actions?

8. Why does the author write the words Morrie uses to describe Batman, "...morally bankrupt, politically hazardous, reactionary, paranoid...," on the panel of the Joker smiling and staring gleefully at the television?

9. What is the significance of Bruce Wayne watching The Mask of Zorro on television?

10. How is the demon metaphor for Batman further promoted during Bruce Wayne's sleepwalking and flashback scene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The theme of heroism and what it means to be a hero is another theme that is prevalent throughout "The Dark Knight Returns." Choose one (Batman, Superman, The Joker, Two Face, the Mutants and discuss how that/those character(s) define and/or react to heroism. Find descriptions from the text to support your answer and provide evidence for your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

Batman's new Robin is a girl, and one who is seemingly unaware of the dangers the job. Many of the women Bruce Wayne/Batman has in his life are endangered or harmed in some way. Select one of the female characters (Robin, Selena Kyle, Sarah Gordon, or Commissioner Yindel) and define how their representations are reflections of Batman's relentless attitude toward upholding justice. Find descriptions from the text to support your answer and provide evidence for your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

Explain why and how Batman succeeds in reaching his goal of killing off true identity, Bruce Wayne, and fully embracing his Batman persona by novel's end. Find descriptions from the text to support your answer and provide evidence for your opinion.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,046 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample