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

2. What is the result of Sylder's crash?

3. What does Sylder offer to give John Wesley?

4. Gifford and ___________ are two local cops who investigate Sylder's crash.

5. Where does Sylder arrive in the middle of the night?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does John Wesley acquire his animal traps?

2. What is the whiskey running process in place in the area and what is Sylder's role in it?

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

4. How does John Wesley happen to meet Sylder?

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

6. Describe the Green Fly Inn.

7. What does the man in Sylder's car want and what does Sylder end up doing?

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

9. What does the orchard keeper do when he returns to his house?

10. How does McCarthy set up the book's major irony in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

Project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for the lives of John Wesley, Ownby and Sylder. Be sure to include emotional states as well as physical characteristics, geographic locations, work, hobbies, and socialization.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the significance of the novel's title. What did the author mean by calling the book THE ORCHARD KEEPER? Cite an example to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,183 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample