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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. The person who wakes the rest of the Maitland family with her screams does NOT claim to have seen a man with what quality?

2. When Howie asks Holly to come to Flint City, which character does Holly name as the person she believes to be innocent of Frank's murder?

3. What is the first name of Claude's mother?

4. In Chapter 7 of Footsteps and Cantaloupe, who receives a call notifying him about Fred's suicide attempt?

5. The man who reaches out of the shower toward Jack tells Jack that he has afflicted him with what malady?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Bill Hodges and how does Ralph remind Holly of this man?

2. What kinds of supplies does the investigative team purchase at Home Depot?

3. How is the theme of family bonds depicted in the relationship between Lovie Ann and Claude?

4. What does the cantaloupe in Ralph's story symbolize?

5. What finally convinces Jack to do the bidding of the Outsider?

6. Who insists on joining the first meeting between Ralph and Holly and why?

7. How does the motif of dreams enter the narrative in relation to Jack?

8. What is June's reason for being confused about her decision to save Fred?

9. What characteristic of the corpse lying next to Jack in bed convinces him of its identity?

10. In what way does The Outsider contain commentary about race and culture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Trace the characterization arc of Ralph’s character throughout the novel The Outsider. Discuss whether Ralph is a round or flat character and whether he is a static or dynamic character.

Essay Topic 2

Sensory details are used frequently by King in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative of The Outsider. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used serve King’s creation of vivid characters to populate the narrative.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss King's decision to include humor within the text of The Outsider. What purpose did King have in mind when including these instances of humor and how does the inclusion of these instances support the overarching themes and messages of the text?

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