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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 extreme weather is Ownby navigating at the beginning of this section?

2. What animals is the wildcat prowling for at the beginning of this section?

3. How many police officers is Ownby accused of shooting?

4. What does the orchard keeper notice about the peach pit when he visits it?

5. Where does Sylder's car die while on his whiskey run?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Ownby's encounter with a welfare department agent in the jail.

2. How does John Wesley manage to get into the mental asylum to visit Ownby?

3. Describe Ownby's arrest by Officer Gifford.

4. Who are the boys that John Wesley meets and what do they do?

5. What sense of foreboding does Sylder have as he tries to fall asleep?

6. Does it appear that Arthur is completely anti-social?

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

8. How else might the irony of Sylder and John Wesley's friendship be interpreted?

9. What are John Wesley and Warn's speculation on what had happened to the mink?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

McCarthy is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphors, and irony. Briefly describe them and identify the technique which they embody.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses some important instances of foreshadowing in the story. Explain what foreshadowing is and cite at least two examples making sure to explain what makes each an example of foreshadowing.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,141 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample