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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. Who spent time in an insane asylum?

2. What does Tarwater do when he and Rayber return home from the church?

3. What does Meeks think of Tarwater after driving for only a short while?

4. Where does Bishop go to school?

5. What part of Tarwater does Rayber see first in the beginning of chapter 5?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Tarwater eat so much at lunch before fishing?

2. What does Tarwater do when he has a hard time thinking of what to say to the woman at the gas station?

3. What does Meeks say about the law of work and the law of love?

4. What is Rayber's plan for Tarwater on the fishing trip?

5. Why does Tarwater drink the moonshine he was getting for Buford?

6. When Tarwater is looking over Bishop in the fountain, what does he think?

7. What things does Mason teach Tarwater?

8. At the end of chapter 6, how does Rayber feel about Tarwater?

9. How does Rayber define "another child exploited"?

10. How is it obvious that Tarwater is unfamiliar with telephones?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Rayber and Tarwater in terms of their religious beliefs, feelings and histories.

Essay Topic 2

Tarwater receives rides from three strangers in this novel: Meeks, the truck driver, and the man in the lavender car. Describe each trip in terms of influence on Tarwater, symbolism, reflection of religion, and impact on the rest of the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the motif of death in "The Violent Bear It Away". What does each death represent and reflect? How are characters described through death? How does death drive this novel?

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This section contains 600 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample