View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Quentin see when he enters Uncle Otto's house after buying groceries for him?
(a) Uncle Otto is dead, full of oil, and a spark plug is in his throat.
(b) He sees the truck in Uncle Otto's room.
(c) Uncle Otto has gone mad.
(d) He sees the spirit of McCutchson killing Uncle Otto.

2. In "For Owen," what is the name of the street passed while walking to school?
(a) Cypress.
(b) Aloe.
(c) Tomato.
(d) Fruit.

3. What is Henry's original feeling toward Thorpe's Fornits story?
(a) He found it frightening.
(b) He found it humorous.
(c) He found it ridiculous.
(d) He found it discomfiting.

4. What does the narrator do to defend Nona?
(a) Hits the man with a bottle.
(b) Walks her to her car.
(c) Gets in a fight.
(d) Marries her.

5. How many people are celebrating in "The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet"?
(a) Three.
(b) Sixteen.
(c) Five.
(d) Eight.

Short Answer Questions

1. What reasoning does Henry give for not shaking hands?

2. What does Nona turn into?

3. What does Henry do when Davidson shakes his hand?

4. What emotion does George feel when it comes to Gramma?

5. What is the implication for George at the end of "Gramma"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Henry finally shares his story with a few close friends years later about Reg and the Fornits. Why do you think it took him so long to share this information?

2. "For Owen" seems oddly placed in this collection of stories. Why might King have placed a story about his young son in the midst of more savage and frightening ones?

3. Richard Pine is a man who has made his fortune as a surgeon with his hands, but the rest of his life has been shady and complicated. However, through it all, he protected his hands. How do you think he felt when his hands were the only things he had left, and he was faced with eating those for survival?

4. The milkman in King's short stories is certainly not your ordinary milkman. He spreads death rather than cheer with wholesome milk. What about Spike makes his methods that much more unusual?

5. Rocky is dismayed and angered that the milkman, Spike, impregnated his wife. Spike seems not the least bit intimidated, possibly even enjoying Rocky's discomfort. Do you think Spike did what he did in order to specifically anger Rocky, or do you think Spike doesn't care what anyone thinks?

6. At the end of "Nona," the narrator is surrounded by rats, and Nona herself turns into a huge, disgusting rat. The narrator then embraces the rat and indicates that he is planning suicide. What do you think this story is really about?

7. Often, a killer's choice of weapon will say a lot about that person. What do you think Spike's method of operation and choice of weapon say about him?

8. Children are often frightened by elderly relatives. Everything about them seems foreign and frightening. Do you think George's fear of Gramma was instinctual or merely the usual fear a child has of older people?

9. Compare Henry and Reg and how their relationship affected them both.

10. What do you think the story "For Owen" is about?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 969 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample