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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 in Oree, what animal(s) does Ed wonder about getting a chance to hunt?

2. What kind of men work at the graphics studio?

3. Where is the dam being built that will turn part of the Cahulawassee River into a lake?

4. What do Bobby and Drew contribute to the enjoyment of their first night's camp?

5. What does Bobby Trippe want to bring on the canoe trip?

Short Essay Questions

1. From where does Ed think the model in the photo shoot is?

2. How does the canoe trip change Ed's attitude towards his work?

3. On the second day of the canoe trip, why does Lewis rearrange the gear to lighten Ed and Bobby's load?

4. On the morning of the second day of the canoe trip, why does Ed miss the buck both times he shoots at him?

5. Why are Ed and Bobby paired in the canoe on the second day of the canoe trip instead of Ed and Drew, as happened the first day?

6. Describe the mood that comes over Ed when he returns to his office and is alone with his thoughts.

7. Why does Lewis say the Griner brothers won't just take the money and not deliver the cars to Aintry?

8. How does Drew describe the kind of music he plays the first night of the canoe trip?

9. What argument does Lewis use at the luncheon to convince the other men to take the trip now?

10. How does the discovery of Drew's body change the dynamics of the situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The events of the trip changed Ed Gentry. Describe Ed as James Dickey wanted you to see him at the beginning of the story, then describe him at the end. Are you surprised by those changes? Why or why not? Do you think James Dickey does a good job of taking the reader through the steps necessary for that transformation? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Good stories follow a predictable path from beginning to end. Divide Deliverance into sections. Describe each section, and tell how each contributes to the telling of the story and to the suspense. Describe the climax. Describe the last section, and tell how you think it succeeds in wrapping up all loose ends.

Essay Topic 3

This is the story of Ed's transformation from a man drifting through life into a man of action. Write about one of the following:

1) Trace how the author accomplished that transformation through the events that happened to him, telling how his decisions at these moments contribute to his transformation and to his actions afterward. If he had made other decisions, how would those differences affect the structure of the novel?

2) The title of the novel tells its theme, which is followed through several strands of the story. Give at least two ways the title describes what happened to characters in the novel and explain your reasoning.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 740 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample