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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. Why does Willard start killing animals?

2. What does Willard begin doing again?

3. What does Arvin find in the prayer clearing after waking?

4. What does Willard nail to a cross in the prayer clearing?

5. With what does Willard become obsessed after learning of Charlotte's illness?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Arvin start to do when he hears someone nearby and what is his father's reaction? How does Arvin feel what his father tells him to do?

2. Why does Carl wake up drenched in sweat?

3. How does Willard exact his revenge on the hunters later, and what does he say to Arvin about the incident?

4. Describe the church revival Willard attends with Emma.

5. With whom is Henry's wife committing adultery and with whom does Henry say he'd like to commit adultery?

6. What happens one night when Willard wakes Arvin?

7. Why does Emma believe God will not hold her to her bargain about Willard?

8. Where is Arvin joining his father?

9. Where is Willard going and what is he thinking about as he travels in Chapter 1?

10. About what does Deputy Sheriff Bodecker fantasize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

1. What is foreshadow? How many incidences of foreshadow are in "The Devil All the Time"? How does foreshadow contribute to a book's suspense?

2. Discuss an example of foreshadow in "The Devil All the Time" including why you believe it is foreshadow. Include examples from the book and your own life to illustrate your answer.

3. How do you think most people react to uncertainty in their lives? Use examples from "The Devil All the Time" and your own live to support your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

There are a number of interesting questions raised by "The Devil All the Time". Questions that Pollock most likely want readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Pollock's agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Pollock's probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Pollock and see if/where his life may have influenced his writing.

Essay Topic 3

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Donald Ray Pollock.

2. What in Pollock's background may have helped him in writing "The Devil All the Time"? What may have influenced the way he depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

(see the answer keys)

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