View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the narrator wake up wanting on New Year's Day?

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

3. Where do the narrator and his girlfriend decide to have Christmas dinner?

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

5. What kind of head covering does the landlord wear?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Give an example of a character in the story thinking fatalistically.

3. Describe the character Tiny.

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

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

6. Why does Tiny stay at the facility?

7. What does Tiny represent?

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

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

10. Why does the narrator not tell J.P. that he woke up on New Year's Day wanting a drink?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the personality and outlook of the narrator's wife and J.P.'s wife. How does each react to her husband's alcoholism? Who is the stronger character?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator describes J.P. as "first and foremost a drunk. But he's also a chimney sweep." Why does the narrator include both aspects of J.P.'s identity? How does this reflect one of the story's themes?

Essay Topic 3

Compare how humility and arrogance are used in the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 871 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample