View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What adjective is NOT used to describe the conversations Grant is able to have with Fiona during his visits?

2. When Grant describes the sexual revolution as an "epidemic," (302) what malady does he name?

3. Grant's first illicit affair had been with a woman named what?

4. When the narrator describes the families who visit residents of Meadowlake, which people are said to be "without apprehension" (297)?

5. During the time of Grant's most active time as a philanderer, what situation was Fiona dealing with?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Aubrey's residence at Meadowlake different than Fiona's status there?

2. How is Aubrey's malady different than Fiona's malady?

3. Describe the favor Fiona asks of Grant and why this is such a poignant moment in the narrative.

4. What event causes Grant to realize that Aubrey must be checking out of Meadowlake?

5. What is significant about the way in which Grant's relationship with Jacqui ends?

6. What is "the most obvious" and "most necessary question" (293) mentioned by the narrator upon several occasions?

7. Discuss an instance when Munro utilizes white space in order to magnify the emotional messages in a certain passage.

8. What kind of work had Aubrey done before he stopped working and what method is used to deliver this information to the reader?

9. How does Munro go about demonstrating Kristy's uniqueness among her colleagues?

10. In what locations can Fiona and Aubrey generally be found on the grounds of Meadowlake?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose an object from "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," such as the mattress, the house shoes, or some other symbolic object and discuss its overall meaning and its connection to themes within the text.

Essay Topic 2

How is the topic of deception treated within "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" and how does its treatment relate to the story's depicted messages?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the ways in which the themes of adaptability and resignation appear within Munro’s story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." What message is Munro sending about these two themes over the course of the narrative and what role does Kristy play within Munro's discussion of these themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,305 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample