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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. After leaving the nice house, the father and son come to a gas station -- what do they find there?

2. After he leaves his son safely sleeping, the father explores a barn -- what does he find in the barn?

3. What does the son talk about as they leave the hidden cellar?

4. What does the son do while at the location after the gas station?

5. Near the tool shed, the father uncovers a locked trap door to a hidden cellar -- how does the son react?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give an example from Chapters 21-25 that shows the father's mistrust.

2. Explain why the son returns to the fearful version of himself in Chapter 36, and use an example from the text.

3. Explain what happens when the father and son find the old abandoned train -- analyze the father's actions.

4. Describe what the father and son find in Chapter 35 that symbolizes the end of the son's innocence.

5. Recall an example from Chapter 31 that demonstrates how the father is dealing with the son growing up.

6. Describe three things that the father and son find of use in Chapters 36-40.

7. In Chapter 30, describe how the son acts like a child for the first time.

8. Analyze the son's reaction when, in Chapters 36-40, he realizes that the father is becoming more reliant on his opinion.

9. Explain what happens in Chapter 35 that finally makes the father realize that the son is growing up.

10. Give an example from Chapters 21-25 that describes the son's naivety.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the father's psychological state and how it pertains to the story. How does his mental state affect the decisions that he makes? Are these decisions helping or hurting himself and his son?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the theme of repetition of problems and how it sets the tone for the book. How does the repetition of these problems create a bleak feeling throughout the book? How does this repetition help make their situation seem hopeless? Cite examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

The father insists that there are good and bad guys in the world, leading the reader to believe a "bad" group of people are responsible for the destruction. How are good people set apart from bad people in the story? What are the major characteristics that good people have that bad people don't? How does the father distinguish between the good and bad people?

(see the answer keys)

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