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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 country does "the guy who travels" want to make contacts in?

2. What did the famous writer who lived near the facility die of?

3. What is the physical appearance of J.P.'s wife, according to the narrator?

4. How does "the guy who travels" get to the facility?

5. Who does J.P.'s wife say is "the best sweep in the business"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the section about the landlord, what does the narrator's nakedness represent?

2. Give an example of hopelessness in the story.

3. How does the story show the progression of alcoholism?

4. What is the significance of New Year's Eve in the story?

5. Why does the author keep mentioning the coal bucket?

6. Is Frank Martin an alcoholic?

7. What is the significance of the way Roxy is dressed on New Year's Day?

8. Discuss how J.P.'s experience as a child in the well mirrors his experience as an adult alcoholic.

9. Why does the proprietor recommend "The Call of the Wild" to J.P. and the narrator?

10. Give an example of hopefulness in the story.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nature imagery is prevalent in "Where I'm Calling From," as seen in frequent physical descriptions of place and climate and in the recurring theme of Jack London and his writing. Why did the author choose to emphasize nature? Could the story have been set in a city and pursued the same themes?

Essay Topic 2

The story explores J.P.'s wife's infidelity and his outraged reaction to it. Yet the narrator skims over the fact that he was unfaithful to his wife. What do the two examples of infidelity represent? Is J.P.'s wife's infidelity more noteworthy or unexpected than the narrator's? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the different ways in which eating is used as a metaphor in the story, and what each mention of food or eating signifies.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 887 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample