View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What word does J.P. use to describe how the facility's proprietor makes him feel?
(a) Loser.
(b) Dog.
(c) Misfit.
(d) Bug.

2. When did the narrator read the short story he mentions?
(a) College.
(b) High school.
(c) When he was married.
(d) He doesn't remember when.

3. How many pieces of cake does J.P. eat?
(a) Two.
(b) None.
(c) One.
(d) One, and saves one for later.

4. How many children does the narrator's girlfriend have?
(a) One son.
(b) A son and a daughter.
(c) One daughter.
(d) Two sons.

5. On one occasion, how does J.P. physically injure his wife?
(a) Splits her lip.
(b) Punches her in the stomach.
(c) Gives her a black eye.
(d) Breaks her wrist.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator eat for Christmas dinner?

2. In what state does the story take place?

3. How old is J.P. when he falls down a dry well?

4. How does J.P.'s wife's father feel about J.P. when they are dating?

5. Who takes J.P. to the treatment facility?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the story of "the guy who travels"?

2. How does J.P. act when he tells the story about his descent into alcoholism?

3. Describe the character Tiny.

4. Why does Tiny stay at the facility?

5. Give an example of hopelessness in the story.

6. Why does the narrator not give his name?

7. How is the image of rain used in the story?

8. Is the story sympathetic or not sympathetic to alcoholics, and why?

9. Why does the narrator remember the story of the landlord painting?

10. Discuss how J.P.'s experience as a child in the well mirrors his experience as an adult alcoholic.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 887 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample