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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. How old is J.P.?

2. In the narrator's memories, what is the landlord doing one morning?

3. What is written on the New Year's Eve cake?

4. What health news does the narrator's girlfriend receive on Christmas Eve?

5. What animal noise does Tiny make when he comes downstairs one morning?

Short Essay Questions

1. Give an example of hopefulness in the story.

2. Give an example of sarcasm in the story.

3. Give one example of a character in the story being self-deprecating.

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

5. Why does Roxy say yes to a date with J.P.?

6. What is the plot of "To Build a Fire," the story the narrator remembers reading?

7. What is J.P.'s wife a symbol of?

8. How is the image of cold weather used in the story?

9. Give an example of hopelessness in the story.

10. Does the narrator believe that "the guy who travels" actually travels?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the contrasting symbolism of the well and the chimney.

Essay Topic 2

Many details in the story are vague, while others are very precise. For example, J.P. is "eighteen or nineteen" when he meets his wife, but he remembers exactly what she is wearing. Explore how the author alternately uses vague and precise details and why.

Essay Topic 3

There is no mention of any of the characters in the story having friends outside the facility. What role does community play in the recovery from addiction? Give examples of how the story threads community and friendship into its themes.

(see the answer keys)

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