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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. Near the edge of a city, the father and son come to a house -- what does the father find inside the house?

2. After leaving the supermarket, how does the son feel about following the father into the house?

3. At the first location in Chapter 1, what does the father try calling?

4. The father wakes from a dream and claims dreaming is not good -- what was he dreaming about?

5. After passing the stone wall, what do the father and son hear that makes them hide?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Give an example of a game that the father and son play together.

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

5. At the beginning of Chapter 11, describe where the father and son bathe and what they eat for dinner.

6. Recall a situation in the text that demonstrates how the son has becomes immune to the sight of death.

7. Explain how the father demonstrates perseverance in Chapters 16 through 20.

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

9. Give one example from Chapter 5 that demonstrates how the father is not functioning well psychologically.

10. Recall examples from Chapters 1-5 that demonstrate how the father tries to protect the son, and how the son tries to protect the father.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In The Road, the cities are deserted or destroyed, plant life is gone, animals have disappeared. Something catastrophic has happened to the world. Examine the conflict of Person vs. Nature, citing examples from the text that demonstrate how the characters are up against the forces of nature.

Essay Topic 2

The setting in The Road is vital to the whole tone of the story. Analyze the use of setting in The Road.

Part 1) How did Cormac McCarthy describe his setting?

Part 2) How is the setting almost considered a character in the story?

Part 3) Compare the setting of this novel to another novel -- was the setting simple or complex?

Essay Topic 3

Although the landscape and destruction are mentioned, the author never explains what caused the devastation. Explore the cause of this devastation, refer to the clues that are provided to the reader.

• How does the landscape suggest an epidemic -- could it be environmental, caused by man through war, or both?

• Why is it difficult to truly assess the situation of the world, and how is the father an unreliable witness?

• How does not explaining the disaster add to the paranoia and confusion that the reader feels from the father?

(see the answer keys)

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