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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. While the family is at Peabody’s, Anse says he is going where in Chapter 59: “Cash”?

2. Where does Addie tell Anse she has family in Chapter 40: “Addie”?

3. Vardaman says that Jewel does not have what anymore in Chapter 47: “Vardaman”?

4. Who goes to the Bundren's wagon to tell them about the bridge in Chapter 29: “Samson”?

5. How does Dewey Dell imagine herself sitting in the wagon in Chapter 30: “Dewey Dell”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Samson’s opinion of Anse Bundren in Chapter 29: “Samson”? What does Samson offer the family?

2. How is Jewel’s arrival described from Darl’s perspective in Chapter 27: “Darl”?

3. How do Jewel and Cash Bundren differ in their approach to the problem in Chapter 34: “Darl”?

4. How does Cash react to his pain and injuries in Chapter 44: “Vardaman”? Where does the family stop for medicine?

5. How does Dewey Dell lose her money to Anse Bundren in Chapter 58: “Dewey Dell”?

6. How is the river accident described through Vardaman’s perspective in Chapter 35: “Vardaman”?

7. What is symbolized and foreshadowed when the family passes the sign for New Hope in Chapter 30: “Dewey Dell”?

8. How is the timeline of the Bundren children described in Chapter 40: “Addie”?

9. How is Anse Bundren’s selfishness illustrated in Chapter 43: “Armstid”?

10. How is Cash’s condition described in Chapter 42: “Darl”? Where is the Bundren family going in this chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the impact and symbolism of the barn fire in the narrative. What causes the fire? How is this obstacle overcome by those affected by the fire? How are the animals saved?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of identity in As I Lay Dying. How does this theme relate to Darl, Jewel, and Cash? How does this theme connect to Dewey Dell? How does it relate to Anse Bundren?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Darl's arrest in the end of the novel. Why is he taken away? Where is he presumably taken? How does his family respond to Darl's actions and his being taken away?

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