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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. Bellocq realizes he has tempted Buddy to "the edge of _______."

2. Buddy maimed Pickett while avoiding what?

3. Where does Buddy play "Cakewalking Babies"?

4. What does Bellocq set on fire?

5. What does the melting ice add to the barbershop?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the image of scrambling over barbed wire meant to portray?

2. Does Buddy have good self-esteem? How?

3. Is Dude Botley superstitious about hymns? How?

4. How do Jaelin and Buddy approach Buddy's affair with Robin similarly?

5. How does Buddy feel about coming back home?

6. At the end of Chapter 2, is a new crisis inevitable? Why?

7. How does Buddy feel about John Robichaux?

8. What is Buddy's relationship with Bellocq like?

9. In Chapter 2, how does Buddy act crazy?

10. How is generational conflict used in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Buddy carries on two relationships in "Coming Through Slaughter." Both women are quite different, as are the relationships. However, there are a few circumstantial similarities. Discuss Buddy's relationship with women. How does he see them? How were these relationships toxic to him? How was he toxic to them? What is "romance" in Buddy's life?

Essay Topic 2

Nora is Buddy's wife and the mother of his children. She is the one who reports him missing. Their relationship changes dramatically through the course of the story. Discuss Buddy and Nora's relationship and what about Buddy and the larger themes it provokes.

Essay Topic 3

"Coming Through Slaughter" is a work if fiction, but relies on historical figures. Discuss how Ondaatje uses history in his fiction. What is his intention? What does it add to the narrative? To what end is this tool?

(see the answer keys)

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