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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. Who does Rudolph begin to think of while Father Schwartz talks to him in Chapter 5?

2. What is most important to Rudolph's father?

3. What does Rudolph think might be the worst sin he has committed in the last 12 hours after taking communion?

4. What happens outside of Father Schwartz's at the end of the story?

5. What does Rudolph's father tells him he must do as soon as they get to church that Sunday in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Carl Miller's Sunday morning routine as seen at the start of Chapter 3?

2. Why is Carl upset at Rudolph when he finds him in the kitchen in Chapter 3?

3. With whom does Rudolph walk to church? What is he told he must do when he arrives?

4. Why does Rudolph feel safe in the room with Father Schwartz at the start of Chapter 5?

5. How does Rudolph feel as time for communion nears? Why does he ultimately get up to take communion?

6. What does Carl pray for in the church pew as he kneels beside his son?

7. What does Rudolph tell Father Schwartz in the confessional in Chapter 4 after his altercation with his father?

8. What happens between Carl and Rudolph after Rudolph angrily tosses his cup into the kitchen sink in Chapter 3?

9. How does Rudolph's mother behave after his altercation with his father in Chapter 3? How does Rudolph feel about his mother at this time?

10. Why does Carl go to the kitchen when he was getting ready for work on Sunday morning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay comparing and contrasting Rudolph and Father Schwartz in "Absolution." What details help develop their character and what do these details tell you about them? What is their background? How do they know each other? How do they interact? In what ways are they similar or different? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Examine the use of dialogue versus the use of description. Look at how each is used in the story and what makes these uses effective or ineffective.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss elements of the narrative structure: Exposition, conflict, complication, climax, resolution and conclusion. Do all the elements make for a logical and linear story? How does the story's structure express the themes of entrapment, isolation, and longing?

(see the answer keys)

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