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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. When does J.P. ask his wife on a first date?

2. How do the other patients respond when Tiny tells his story at breakfast?

3. Where is Tiny hoping to be on New Year's Eve?

4. On another occasion, how does J.P. physically injure his wife?

5. What phrase does the narrator use for casually talking with someone?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of New Year's Eve in the story?

2. In the section about the landlord, what does the narrator's nakedness represent?

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

4. Why does Tiny stay at the facility?

5. Give an example of sarcasm in the story.

6. Why is the narrator so enthralled by J.P.'s stories?

7. Why does the proprietor tell the narrator and J.P. that Jack London was an alcoholic?

8. How does the narrator feel about his girlfriend?

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

10. Give an example of how the image of hills and valleys is used by the author.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nature imagery is prevalent in "Where I'm Calling From," as seen in frequent physical descriptions of place and climate and in the recurring theme of Jack London and his writing. Why did the author choose to emphasize nature? Could the story have been set in a city and pursued the same themes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the contrasting symbolism of the well and the chimney.

Essay Topic 3

Why is the character Frank Martin included in the story? Could the story have been told without him, or is he central to the themes?

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