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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. Who does the sheriff say sold the gun to Crawford Gowrie?

2. Who digs up the grave?

3. What did the sheriff and Uncle Gavin do while Charles slept?

4. What kind of dogs are with the three men that appear from behind the church?

5. What does the sheriff think Jack Montgomerie tried to do before he died?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Uncle Gavin's take on the civil rights struggle in the South?

2. Why do you think Charles is so enraged by the behavior of the crowd?

3. Why do you think Charles is so struck by Mr. Gowrie's grief?

4. Why does Charles hold such respect for Miss Habersham?

5. Why is Charles so interested in why the black worker is plowing the field?

6. Why do you think Lucas did not tell the full story in the first place?

7. How is the sheriff proven wrong in chapter six?

8. Why did the Gowrie's not lynch Lucas behind the store?

9. Why does Gavin think Vinson Gowrie is buried in quicksand?

10. Why did Crawford kill Jake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Faulkner often hints at a divide between the North and South of America. Using one example in the book discuss how Faulkner shows this divide. What do you think caused this divide? Is the divide still there today?

Essay Topic 2

Intruder in the Dust is part of the southern Gothic genre.

1) What are the conventions of the southern Gothic genre in terms of character, language and plot?

2) In what way does Intruder in the Dust subvert the southern Gothic genre?

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the story Charles thinks he owes Lucas a favor and there are also many references to the southern gentlemen code. What is the southern gentlemen code? In what way does Faulkner present the southern gentlemen code as a backward and damaging tradition? In what ways do you think the characters and setting would lose and gain from the breakdown of the code?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 806 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample