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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. What is the result of J.P.'s arrest?

3. What is Tiny's profession?

4. What nickname does J.P. call the narrator?

5. How long has Tiny been at the facility?

Short Essay Questions

1. Is the narrator's girlfriend also an alcoholic?

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

3. What are the signs that J.P. is making a recovery?

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

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

6. Why does Tiny stay at the facility?

7. Choose a character and explain why he or she is sympathetic.

8. What does Tiny represent?

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

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

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

Will J.P. and the narrator recover from alcoholism? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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