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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 is it that Jack wants to talk to Will about when they visit the nursing home?

2. Where did Will's father get the Luger from?

3. What is Allison able to do at the auto shop that surprises her?

4. Which of the following is NOT one of Lewis Peckham's professions or hobbies?

5. What kind of car does Will Barrett drive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Allison talk to the man in the garage of Washau Motors about?

2. What does Will hope to prove with his experiment?

3. How do Allison and Will meet the first time?

4. What does Jimmy Rogers do during the golf game to annoy Will?

5. What is the first time Will Barrett's deceased wife is mentioned?

6. What is the self-discovery that Allison makes before she goes to Linwood?

7. When Allison's parents have a conference alone with Dr. Duk, what does she find out that instigates her escape?

8. What does Allison realize that she forgot to ask when she arrives at Washau Motors?

9. Why does Allison buy herself new clothes when she gets to Linwood?

10. What does Will think his father was trying to tell him on that hunting trip?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, the narrator's perspective changes. Discuss how Walker Percy uses narration to help shape his novel. Is it first person or third person narration? Who seems to be the main focus of the novel? How does the perspective shift? Is the narrator sympathetic to the main characters?

Essay Topic 2

One of Walker Percy's main themes in the novel The Second Coming is identity. Discuss how the characters in the novel deal with their identities, using at least two characters to compare and contrast. Provide specific examples from the text to support your discussion.

Essay Topic 3

Dysfunctional relationships abound in the novel, The Second Coming, from the relationship that Will had with his recently deceased wife, Marion, to Allison's parents, Kitty and Walter's relationship. Will and Allison are understandably hesitant about the idea of love and marriage. Write an essay discussing the theme of love and marriage in the novel, comparing the views of several characters on love and marriage. Choose at least three characters to compare and contrast, providing examples from the text to support your argument.

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