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 kind of animal do the boys hope to trap for its value?

2. What is Uncle Ather's real name?

3. Who picks up Ownby when he is spotted walking with his dog?

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

5. How much is a mink worth?

Short Essay Questions

1. What emotions does the orchard keeper have when he finds the peach pit smoldering?

2. Why does Gifford focus his question about Ownby on a storekeep named Huffaker?

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

4. In addition to his traps, what does Warn point out to the other boys?

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

6. Why is Sylder's toe injury probably unrelated to a war injury?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Explain McCarthy's use of regionalism in the book. Cite examples of at least two different instances of regionalism and explain why the author used them where he did.

Essay Topic 3

Create a brief character study of Kenneth Rattner. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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