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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. Which of the following is not a charge that has been lodged against Ballard?

2. What dry, tasteless food does Ballard cook over an open flame in his shack in Chapter 21(pp. 66-67)?

3. Where does Fate inspect the car with the couple in the story of Chapter 15 (pp.44-45)?

4. Why can't Fred Kirby find his jar of whiskey?

5. What is the first prize that Ballard wins at the fair?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Lester Ballard.

2. What news does Darfuzzle give Ballard?

3. How does Ballard win three prizes?

4. Describe the boxing match that happens at the end of this section.

5. What happened to Lester Ballard's parents?

6. How do people react to Ballard in the Six-Mile Church?

7. Describe the man in the cell across from Ballard's.

8. Why does the unnamed man in Chapter 5 (pp. 17-18) decide he does not like Lester Ballard?

9. What does Ballard do on his way to visit his friend?

10. What does Lester Ballard discover in a car outside his shack one night, and what happens?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In what way does Lester Ballard's interactions with the Sleeping Woman on Frog Mountain codify his attitude toward women and his desire to have them in a lifeless state. In the essay, compare and contrast his interaction with her to his interaction with Ralph's daughter. Also compare his defense to the police with her to his defense to the posse at the end of the novel. Pay attention to the terms he uses to describe her.

Essay Topic 2

Lester Ballard is a man who feel victimized and put upon by the society around him. He strikes out at individuals whom he views as antagonistic toward him and intent on keeping him under foot. Analyze Ballard's sense of subjugation in an essay:

Part 1) Citing the chapter in which a resident of Sevier County relates Ballard's early life, examine how the cards were stacked against him from an early age. Did Ballard ever have a change for a normal, stable life?

Part 2) Examine the scenes where Ballard comes into contact with law enforcement. What does he believe the police are doing to him? Do you think he knows that he has committed a crime? How does his first trip to the police station in the novel shadow his second?

Part 3) Discuss the grudge that Ballard has for Greer. What has Greer done to him, and how does Ballard react? When does it begin, and how does this relationship typify Ballard's sense of victimization?

Essay Topic 3

In the opening passages of the book, McCarthy gives a description of Ballard as a soul. In the closing passages, he creates a portrait of Ballard as a body, vivisected into its component organ systems by doctors and students. Compare these two passages under the thesis of how McCarthy portrays Ballard throughout the novel. Is he creating a portrait that we are supposed to understand or a subject we are supposed to observe?

(see the answer keys)

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