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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. What does Tarwater do to the shack the night Mason dies?

2. Who shoots the schoolteacher?

3. What does Tarwater do when he and Rayber return home from the church?

4. What catches Tarwater's attention in the store window when he is walking with Rayber?

5. What does Mason tell Tarwater a benefit of living in the woods is?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Rayber feel he can read Tarwater like a book?

2. Why does Tarwater move toward Bishop when he jumps in the water fountain at the park?

3. Why does Tarwater turn down Meeks' offer to drop him off at Rayber's?

4. What does Tarwater do when Bishop sits on the stairs in front of him at the hotel?

5. What does Tarwater tell the truck driver who asks him why his pants are wet?

6. How does Rayber describe the windows of the building Lucette preaches in?

7. Why does Rayber follow Tarwater quietly when he leaves the house?

8. In the beginning of chapter 3, why does Tarwater not look at the sky?

9. In chapter 9 when Rayber watches Tarwater interact with Bishop in the bedroom why does Rayber admit to being jealous?

10. What condition is Tarwater in when he wakes up in the woods?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the relationship between Mason and Tarwater. Consider Mason's influence on Tarwater, Tarwater's acceptance/resistance toward Mason, and how this relationship drives Tarwater's actions/the plot of the novel.

Essay Topic 2

This novel is set in the American South. Describe the setting, culture, and ways of the American South and how it impacted the novel and characters.

Essay Topic 3

"The Violent Bear It Away" is considered to be written in the Southern Gothic tradition which includes a setting in the south and the supernatural, among other elements. Find a definition of Southern Gothic tradition and reflect on how this novel fits or does not fit the definition.

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