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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. Before going to the Brewitts, what does Buddy do for two days?

2. When does Webb finally come to see Buddy play?

3. Where is Buddy on a boat?

4. Nora's mother is a ______.

5. When Webb and Buddy lived together, what did Webb collect?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Buddy and Webb approach life differently?

2. Does Buddy know or care about how his actions affect people?

3. What is the effect of Ondaatje's sentence structures?

4. How does the narrative style reflect Buddy's music?

5. What kind of performer is Buddy?

6. What about Buddy's disappearance is confusing for Nora?

7. How does Webb feel about Buddy's music?

8. What is the significance of Buddy's hands in Chapter 1?

9. What does Buddy's world look like?

10. How did Buddy become obsessed with death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Driving forces in "Coming Through Slaughter" are the ties between Buddy's relationships and mirrored experiences. Discuss what role interconnection plays in the book and how it impacts the overall narrative and what impact it has on our perception.

Essay Topic 2

Truth in "Coming Through Slaughter" is at times obscured by characters' egos and self-perception. Discuss what impact the reader's discovery of truth plays on the experience of the book and the characters.

Essay Topic 3

Buddy is concerned with not mimicking the failure of his musical ancestors but becoming greater than them. However, at the end, no one remembers him. Discuss the theme of the battle of generations in "Coming Through Slaughter."

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