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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. At the first location in Chapter 1, what does the father try calling?
(a) His brother's house.
(b) His sister's house.
(c) His old house.
(d) His friend's house.

2. After leaving the trailer, further along the road, what does the father discover?
(a) A dead animal.
(b) A dead body.
(c) A pair of shoes.
(d) Fresh footprints.

3. What has happened to the woman that the father has a dream about?
(a) She's healthy and happy.
(b) She's dead.
(c) She's alone and pregnant.
(d) She's hurt.

4. As the father and son continue their journey, why is it getting so difficult to push the cart?
(a) The snow is getting worse.
(b) The terrain is too rough and covered with rocks.
(c) The rain is falling too heavily.
(d) The cart is falling apart.

5. What do the father and the son find in a smokehouse?
(a) A leg of lamb.
(b) A pound of bacon.
(c) A ham.
(d) Rib steaks.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are the father and son running out of as they travel?

2. After leaving the first location visited in Chapter 1, the father and son reach a city -- why does the father presume there is no life there?

3. Why is the son becoming increasingly cold?

4. Where do the father and son hide while spying on the people climbing out of a truck?

5. At the end of Chapter 10, what do the father and son find?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe how the author creates a sparse, bleak feeling at the beginning of the novel.

2. Give an example from Chapter 11 where the father demonstrates his love for his son.

3. Describe how the son is more capable of surviving than his father.

4. Give an example that demonstrates the father's stubbornness and how he has somewhat lost touch with reality.

5. Describe the father's belief in God.

6. Describe how food is constantly a struggle, comparing how the father and son manage their food.

7. Describe a recurring theme throughout Chapters 16 through 20.

8. Describe what happens when the father and son arrive at the father's old house.

9. Recall what question the son asks the father repeatedly and relate it to the father's coughing fits.

10. Explain how the author's descriptions and use of language set the tone for the rest of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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