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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 is J.P.'s real name?

2. How does "the guy who travels" get to the facility?

3. Where was J.P. when he met his wife?

4. After J.P. gets married, what word does he use to describe how he feels about his life?

5. How long has Tiny been at the facility?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the character Tiny.

2. Describe the character Frank Martin.

3. Give an example of hopefulness in the story.

4. Why does the narrator use the term "drunk" instead of "alcoholic"?

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

6. What is the significance of mentioning the razor nicks on J.P.'s and other residents' faces?

7. Why does the narrator want to ask Tiny more about his seizure?

8. How does the narrator feel about his girlfriend?

9. What does Joe Penny's name suggest?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss why the author uses so many idiomatic expressions (for example, "batting the breeze," "over the hump")? How does the use of idioms reflect the themes of the story?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss how emotional and physical isolation are connected in the story.

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