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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. Why does George's mother say his Gramma turned toward behavior that caused people to talk?

2. Why is George summoned from his meeting with Greer?

3. Who is giving Nona a hard time when the narrator meets her?

4. What happens to McCutchson?

5. Where does Nona take the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

1. Gramma is fat, flabby, blind, and smells funny. She also often wears a sly, frightening appearance. Do you think she plays up her frightening aspects to keep the family in line?

2. Henry encourages a writer who apparently believes in the whimsical creatures about which he writes. Henry begins the encouragement out of amusement and boredom. Do you think the resulting actions leading to the writer's death were what Henry expected to happen?

3. Rocky seems to be a bit of an intimidator himself. Though it is long past closing time, he coerces his friend into giving his car an inspection sticker. What do you think this says about Rocky?

4. Identify a simile from "The Reaper's Image" and explain how the simile adds to the description.

5. 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?

6. Foreshadowing is when an event early in the story hints at an event to take place later in the story. Find an example of foreshadowing in "The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands." Cite the foreshadowing event and the event it foreshadows.

7. Uncle Otto's business partner, George, was killed in an accident involving Otto's truck. Most people believe that Otto killed George over a business disagreement. Given the circumstances of the ending, do you think it was Uncle Otto or Uncle Otto's truck that killed George and why?

8. Reg likely suffers from a serious mental illness, yet Henry continues to encourage Reg's fantasies. What do you think was Henry's motivating factor?

9. 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?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Taking into consideration the volume of work involved in this book, how do you analyze the format of "Notes." Is this really the ending you expect from Stephen King? Do you think King's unpredictability is part of his charm?

Essay Topic 2

Setting is often a major contributing factor to the mood of a story or novel. However, many of King's stories in this book do not stress setting as much as character. Are there any stories in which the setting is an important factor to the mood? If so, which ones and why? How does King use his characters rather than the setting to set the mood in his stories?

Essay Topic 3

Stephen King is most well-known for his horror novels and stories. The majority of the stories contained within "Skeleton Crew" are no exception. However, there are a few stories which do not fall within King's typical genre. What do you think King's purpose was in including these off-genre stories in a book that is obviously intended to be horror?

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