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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 came about as a result of Prohibition?

2. In what year was Marion Sylder born?

3. Where does Sylder dispose of the dead body?

4. What is one of the major inconveniences of the Rattner house?

5. What is Kenneth Rattner doing as the novel begins?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the circumstances in which Sylder once again encounters the old man?

2. What is the symbolism of the old man firing on the government tank on his property?

3. What do Sylder and June do when they locate the young hitchhikers?

4. What does Sylder do after he is fired from his job?

5. How does John Wesley happen to meet Sylder?

6. What happens to Sylder after the flat tire is fixed?

7. Why is the old man afraid of cats and what extreme measures has he taken to keep them at bay?

8. What other possible explanation could there be for Sylder's driving fast to elude the police?

9. What is the most that John Wesley has ever caught in his traps?

10. How does John Wesley acquire his animal traps?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the overall setting for the novel. Why does McCarthy use the setting he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of greed. Identify at least two examples about greed in the book. Then explain how each example supports the theme of greed.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the significance of the novel's title. What did the author mean by calling the book THE ORCHARD KEEPER? Cite an example to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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