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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. What was Sylder afraid of seeing outside his window at night?

2. What kind of animal does John Wesley kill?

3. How is the girl injured while watching John Wesley fish?

4. What does the orchard keeper do after he discharges his shotgun shells?

5. Where do the policemen begin their investigation?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who are Gifford and Legwater and what do they find at the scene of the car crash?

3. What is the symbolism of the old man firing on the government tank on his property?

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

5. What is life like now for Kenneth Rattner's widow and son, John Wesley, since Rattner is dead?

6. What are the circumstances in which Sylder once again encounters the old man?

7. How does Sylder end up killing the man?

8. What does the old man recall about the day he discovered the corpse buried in the peach pit?

9. What do the voices in the woods tell John Wesley to do?

10. Why is the old man afraid of cats and what extreme measures has he taken to keep them at bay?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

THE ORCHARD KEEPER is written in the Southern Gothic style. What does that classification entail? Why does this novel fit into this category? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Create a brief character study of Marion Sylder. What does he look like? What are his positive personality traits? What are some of his negative characteristics? What are his hopes and fears? What motivates him at this point?

Essay Topic 3

The author uses more than one theme in the novel. Identify at least two themes in the story and then cite an example to support each theme.

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