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 is the builder's leg made from?

2. Who does the narrator see through the window of his house?

3. What is different about Meers?

4. What does Plunk say too much starch in his clothes gave him?

5. How have the wooden-legged men disguised themselves?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does de Selby believe about the shape of the world?

2. Why do the policeman consent to show the narrator what their figures mean?

3. Describe the story Pluck tells about the man who went up in a balloon?

4. How does the narrator describe the map Pluck shows him?

5. How does Divney react to seeing the narrator?

6. What does the narrator see outside of Mathers' house?

7. How does McCruiskeen plan to defeat the one-legged men?

8. What does de Selby say about heaven?

9. Why does Pluck think all modes of transport are dangerous?

10. How does the narrator arrive back at the beginning of the story?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of O'Brien's previous books and contrast it with the Third Policeman in terms of the following:

1. Style.

2. Structure.

3. Themes.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the book's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Pick two characters from the book and discuss their goals and motives. Do they achieve their motives? Do they share similar goals and motives with other characters? Do their goals clash with other characters? How do the characters goals and motives affect their interaction with each other?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample