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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 much time has passed since the last section of the novel?

2. What does Kenneth do at the gas station?

3. What item does Kenneth claim to need when asked by the storekeep?

4. What does Sylder do after he is fired?

5. How does Sylder kill the man?

Short Essay Questions

1. What spooks the orchard keeper when he visits the peach pit where the corpse is buried?

2. What is the name of the town where Marion Sylder is from and in what year was he born?

3. How does Sylder end up killing the man?

4. How does the author further the theme of ignorance and obscurity?

5. What insight is revealed about Sylder's background?

6. How does John Wesley acquire his animal traps?

7. What does Sylder do after he is fired from his job?

8. Describe the Green Fly Inn.

9. What do Sylder and June do when they locate the young hitchhikers?

10. Where does Sylder dispose of the body and whose presence is he unaware of?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

McCarthy waits until almost the end of the novel to reveal the name of the orchard keeper. Why does he wait until this point? What does it mean when the reader finally knows the true identity of the orchard keeper? What is happening in the orchard keeper's life that erases any more secrecy about the old man? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 3

Nature takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

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