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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 money does John Wesley leave for the chickenhawk even though he could not get the corpse?

2. Sylder is told that _____________ wants to see him.

3. What does John Wesley bring to Ownby in the mental asylum?

4. What about Sylder's appearance shocks John Wesley?

5. Where does the large cat find refuge from the rain?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to the Rattners by the end of the story?

2. How is the dead cat symbolic of Kenneth Rattner?

3. How does Arthur stand firm in an attempt to evade the police and find an even more isolated location?

4. Describe Ownby's arrest by Officer Gifford.

5. Describe Sylder's booking in the police department.

6. What information does John Wesley give to Gifford and what does Sylder say about it?

7. Describe the police attack on Ownby's house.

8. How does Gifford put pressure on John Wesley to give up information about Sylder?

9. What is the significance of cats in the story?

10. Why does McCarthy wait until this point in the story to reveal the orchard keeper's name?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Gifford. What is his role in the story? What was the author trying to accomplish by creating Gifford's character in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two examples about loss in the book and then explain why the examples support the theme.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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