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. Into what other county does Ballard cross at the beginning of this section?

2. Which of the following is not an animal listed as a cohabitant of the woods with Ballard?

3. What is the first thing that Lester Ballard does after returning home with the body?

4. What does Ballard wear around his feet on his mountain trek?

5. Which of Ballard's friends has recently been picked up by the police?

Short Essay Questions

1. What crime problem is the Sheriff facing in this section?

2. How do the police catch Kirby selling jars of whiskey?

3. What does Ballard do at his old property, now Greer's?

4. How were the White Caps run out of Sevier?

5. What point does Mr. Fox make to Ballard about his debt to the grocery?

6. What does Ballard realize about the Ralph's idiot baby?

7. What does Ballard do on his trip into town?

8. Describe Ballard's appearance at the end of this section.

9. In what state is the town in this section?

10. Why does Ballard return several times to the idling car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do you think that Lester Ballard is an essentially evil man or simply a weak individual driven to extremity by hardship? Write an essay in three parts focusing on two instances in the novel that illustrate your position and one that refutes the opposite view. Be sure to focus on his crimes, childhood, and general mental state.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay about the Sheriff. Is he an effective law enforcer? Is he a principled man with a vision for his County? Write your essay in three paragraphs, detailing three specific episodes in the text that are driven by the Sheriff. Detail the episodes and examine how effective the character is in achieving his objective.

Essay Topic 3

By the end of the novel, Lester Ballard has accumulated a strange menagerie of items in his cave. Each has a particular meaning and function for him, and each reflects a sort of perversion of traditional values and relationships. Write a paragraph about each of these items, how they came into Ballard's possession, and what they mean thematically:

Part 1) The rifle

Part 2) The stuffed animals

Part 3) The women's clothes

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 924 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample