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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. Why does the narrator's landlord grin when he sees him?

2. What does J.P. say he wanted to do when he got out of high school?

3. When the narrator meets J.P.'s wife, what does he notice about her hands?

4. What book does the proprietor recommend to J.P. and the narrator?

5. What happens to Tiny one day at breakfast?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the call the narrator intends to make to his wife at the end of the story?

2. Why does the author keep mentioning the coal bucket?

3. Why does J.P. say the proprietor makes him feel like a "bug"?

4. How does J.P. treat his wife?

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

6. Give an example of sarcasm in the story.

7. Describe the character Frank Martin.

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

9. What does Roxy's name suggest?

10. What economic class do you think the narrator is from and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story explores J.P.'s wife's infidelity and his outraged reaction to it. Yet the narrator skims over the fact that he was unfaithful to his wife. What do the two examples of infidelity represent? Is J.P.'s wife's infidelity more noteworthy or unexpected than the narrator's? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Who is the more reliable storyteller, J.P. or the narrator? Give examples to back up your opinion.

Essay Topic 3

Compare how humility and arrogance are used in the story.

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