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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. What did John say was "the last impression I want to have of this world"?

2. How did Lila respond when he asks her how he could repay her for tending to his garden?

3. According to John, what does light seem to be a metaphor for?

4. Which character said, "Maybe some people aren't so comfortable with themselves"?

5. In John's grandfather's holiday sermon, what does he say the Lord came to him and did?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does John respond to Jack's question about his family moving to Gilead?

2. How does John describe the responsibility that comes from encountering another person?

3. What does Jack share with John that acts as a prelude to the novel's climax? Share some details about the specifics of Jack's revelation.

4. What are two memories of pranks that John and Boughton share on Boughton's porch?

5. What is John's response to the possibility that there may be something approaching love between Lila and Jack?

6. How does John recall Boughton's parents?

7. Describe the nature of the letters Edward is sending home to his father and brother.

8. How does John explain the futility of defending beliefs?

9. How does John recall Jack's baptism?

10. John states that he doesn't forgive Jack, writing "I wouldn't know were to begin." What provokes this statement?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The constant referral to the relationship between fathers and sons permeates "Gilead." Consider these relationships: John's relationship to his own son; John's relationship to his father; John's father's relationship to his own father; and Tobias' relationship, however sketchy, to his father. Discuss each one of these relationships, looking for common traits, differing traits, and how each relationship contributes to the overall mosaic of the story.

Essay Topic 2

John's grandfather's personal belongings - specifically, the gun and the two shirts - can be considered potent symbols. Discuss what these items might be symbolic of, how other family members respond to them. Consider especially John's mother and father's response.

Essay Topic 3

John and Jack have an extended conversation on pages 160 - 173. Discuss the nature of this conversation, the different points raised in the course of the conversation, while highlighting the presence of thematically important conflicts. Note, too, any significance to the fact that the conversation took place in the church - which seems to make conversations difficult.

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