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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 had Mark's son done when the attendants put the mask on him?

2. To what destination is Mark taking his family by way of the jaunt?

3. In "Here There Be Tygers," what does Charles call the bathroom that leads him to be corrected by his teacher?

4. What did Hal think had happened to the item his oldest son has found?

5. What happens when Mike runs out to confront the Greek?

Short Essay Questions

1. "The Wedding Gig" is rife with metaphors, figures of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something in common. For example, "Love is a rose" is a metaphor. Identify a metaphor from "The Wedding Gig" and identify the two things being compared.

2. What is the implied source of the infestation in "The Mist"? How does he make this implication? What do you think King is trying to say with this implication?

3. In what format is "Paranoid: A Chant" written, and what significance does it lend to the story?

4. In "Paranoid: A Chant," there are several instances in which the narrator is showing how obviously disturbed he is. Give one such example and tell why you think that example fits.

5. Homer compares Mrs. Todd to several goddesses. What is the purpose of this comparison?

6. In "The Monkey," what does the stuffed creature represent to Hal? What fears does it reawaken within him?

7. What seems to be the factor linking Mrs. Todd and Homer?

8. What is the significance of the "Execute" button on the word processor, and how does Richard feel when looking at that button for the first time?

9. In "Word Processor of the Gods," what do you think about Richard's choice of his brother's family over his own? Is a choice made of faithfulness or greed?

10. The narrator seems to follow a theme throughout the story. What is the main theme the narrator displays?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Nona" is a story about a man who seems to be under the influence of an odd woman named Nona. Under her influence, he commits murder like he's been doing it all of his life. At the end of the story, Nona turns into a rat and the narrator leaves a suicide note. What do you think King's plot is in this story? Following the winding, sometimes foggy, storyline is at times difficult. What do you think the point of the story is, and what is the point of the narrator's suicide?

Essay Topic 2

King's stories and novels often seem to convey a lesson or moral. Give examples of some of the lessons contained within the stories in "Skeleton Crew." What do you think King was trying to say in these instances? In such a genre, do you think a moral is often the purpose of the story?

Essay Topic 3

The horror genre is one of the most uncomplicated forms of entertainment and is characterized by the author's effort to produce fear in the reader through the use of antagonists such as monsters, ghosts, or even feral animals. The basic concept is the same: the hero must fight against horrific forces for his life and often his soul. Choose one of the stories in "Skeleton Crew" and explain how it fits into the horror genre and how it follows the horror genre formula.

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