The Man In The Black Suit

Multiple Choice

1. Which statement is accurate and supports the theme of The Loss of Faith?

A) Loretta is enraged when Helen Robichaud confirms people can die from bee stings.

B) Gary struggles to memorize Bible passages because he does not believe in them.

C) Albion frequently uses the Lord’s name in vain.

D) Gary becomes a staunch atheist after his encounter.

2. Which of the following does not describe Candy Bill?

A) He senses danger that Gary cannot.

B) He is very sweet and protective.

C) He helps enable Gary’s connection to nature.

D) He is Loretta’s dog and totally ignores Albion.

3. Which of the following does not cast doubt about the reliability of Gary’s narration?

A) He was very young and traumatized when the incident took place.

B) He thinks he may have fallen asleep on the riverbank.

C) He cannot remember his great-granddaughter’s name.

D He recalls that Albion acknowledged that the creel smelled bad.

4. Which of the following is a function of the Devil’s chant, “Opal! Diamond! Sapphire! Jade! I smell Gary’s lemonade!”?

A) King creates tension by juxtaposing a terrifying circumstance with a childish rhyme.

B) King shows that the Devil should not be feared because he is familiar with children’s games.

C) King suggests that the Devil does not need to be taken so seriously.

D) King creates irony by having the Devil repeat a song that Gary previously associated with feelings of safety.

5. Which of the following literary devices is not demonstrated by the following passage: “My infirmities have crept up like waves which will soon take a child’s abandoned sand castle, and my memories have also crept up, making me think of some old rhyme that went, in part, ‘Just leave them alone/And they’ll come home/Wagging their tails behind them’”?

A) Simile

B) Metaphor

C) Oxymoron

D) Personification

6. Which of the following is not a detail that is included about the Devil?

A) He has orange eyes and appears to be on fire inside.

B) He emerges from the woods with no pine needles on him, his suit and shoes in pristine condition.

C) His shoes do not leave tracks.

D) His hands are very tan, and his fingernails are well manicured.

7. Which of the following is not used as justification by the Devil for murdering Gary?

A) Gary has personally wronged him.

B) Murdered souls always go to Heaven.

C) Gary won’t want to live without his mother.

D) Gary’s father will abuse him since his mother is gone.

8. “It’s not belief I’m interested in but freedom. Writing can give that, I’ve found. For twenty years I wrote a column called ‘Long Ago and Far Away’ for the Castle Rock Call, and I know that sometimes it works that way—what you write down sometimes leaves you forever, like old photographs left in the bright sun, fading to nothing but white.” In this passage, the boldfaced words function as ambiguous antecedents. To what do these antecedents refer, respectively?

A) Belief; the process of writing

B) Belief; the practice of journalism

C) Freedom; the process of writing

D) Freedom; the practice of journalism

9. Which of the following best describes the town of Motton at the time of Gary’s story?

A) Remote and isolated

B) Thriving and busy

C) Warm and social

D) Fraught with racial tension

10. Which of the following statements cannot be inferred about the relationship between Loretta and Albion?

A) Albion is very protective of Loretta and tries to shield her from grief.

B) Albion understands that Loretta is devastated after Dan’s death, but he feels compelled to make sure she can still operate like she used to.

C) Albion does not love his wife as much as he did when they were younger.

D) Albion believes that sometimes he must keep secrets from his wife in order to protect her.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating textual details to support your response.

1. If Gary’s brother Dan had never been stung by a bee, how might the story be different? Would Gary be the same person?

2. “My father looked at the old Bible, swelled with family documents and pictures, and I thought he’d tell me to put it back, but he didn’t. A look of mixed grief and sympathy crossed his face, and he nodded.” What does this passage reveal about Gary’s father?