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. How much does the narrator's phone call on New Year's Eve cost?

2. How does Tiny fall at the beginning of the story?

3. Where do the narrator and J.P. place their feet while sitting on the porch?

4. What part of J.P.'s body gets broken in a fight?

5. What is the name of the narrator's landlord?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Joe Penny's name suggest?

2. Give an example of sarcasm in the story.

3. What does the narrator's appetite represent?

4. Is Frank Martin an alcoholic?

5. Give an example of hopefulness in the story.

6. Why does the narrator use the term "drunk" instead of "alcoholic"?

7. Give one example of a character in the story being self-deprecating.

8. Why does Roxy say yes to a date with J.P.?

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

10. Give an example of a character in the story thinking fatalistically.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The themes of both despair and hope figure in "Where I'm Calling From." Is the story ultimately more hopeless or hopeful? Give examples to back up your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

The author never gives an explanation for why any of the characters drink. How does the story cultivate an understanding of alcoholism? Is it a weakness, a disease, or a combination of things?

Essay Topic 3

Why is the character Frank Martin included in the story? Could the story have been told without him, or is he central to the themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 809 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample