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 does the letter in "Pat Hobby's Christmas Wish" indicate?

2. Who does Pat recruit to steal the script in "Teamed with Genius"?

3. What does Pat try to get into in "Pat Hobby and Orson Welles"?

4. How does Pat feel about the person everyone keeps talking about in "Pat Hobby and Orson Welles"?

5. What are the conditions of the gift bestowed upon Pat in "Pat Hobby, Putative Father"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Pat Hobby's Secret," how does Pat get the ending to the story from Woll?

2. What is the biggest example of Pat's unluckiness in "Pat Hobby, Putative Father"?

3. In "A Man in the Way," how does Berners react to finding out the truth about Pat?

4. What hints are given in "Pat Hobby's Christmas Wish" that indicate Pat's alcohol problem?

5. In "Boil Some Water--Lots of It," how does Pat try to fix the situation regarding the man trying to sit at the Big Table?

6. What is revealed about the man who tries to sit at the Big Table in "Boil Some Water--Lots of It"?

7. How does Pat try to impress his son in "Pat Hobby, Putative Father"?

8. In "Boil Some Water--Lots of It," how is Pat's behavior different from his previous actions in other stories?

9. In "Pat Hobby, Putative Father," what does Pat's son offer him and on what condition?

10. How does Pat react to Rene Wilcox in "Teamed With Genius"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "Fun in an Artist's Studio," the theme of humiliation runs throughout the story. How is the theme of humiliation reflected in the story? How does the theme of humiliation affect Pat? Remember to answer each question with support from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Irony is a theme that runs throughout "Pat Hobby's Secret" in the form of some of the characters' actions and the situations in which they find themselves. How is the theme of irony reflected in this story? Cite at least two specific examples of how irony is reflected in the story. Remember to answer each question with support from the story.

Essay Topic 3

"Pat Hobby's Christmas Wish" carries a theme of kinship between two people who feel similarly unsympathetic feelings toward Gooddorf for different reasons. How do Pat and Helen bond? What are their feelings about Gooddorf, and how does this create a connection between the two of them? Remember to answer each question with support from the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 779 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample