A Good Man Is Hard to Find Study Skills

context

Definition: the events, situations, or language that surround a particular word, phrase or piece of text that help explain its meaning

disposition

Definition: the general mood or attitude of a person Sample Sentence: We were surprised by his grumpy attitude especially because he usually has such a bright and happy disposition.

denotation

Definition: the literal or dictionary definition of a word

story structure

Definition: the outline a writer uses to organize and tell a story

plot

Definition: the sequence of events that take place in a work of literature

setting

Definition: the time and place of the events in a work of literature

analyze

Definition: to examine the parts of something in detail

amble

Definition: to walk slowly and leisurely Sample Sentence: Colin and Stacy ambled through Central Park.

Question 9 Match the vocabulary word to its synonym.

prison > penitentiary morsel > delicacy sprightly > jaunty meandering > ambling temperament > disposition

(Skills - Story Structure) A Good Man Is Hard to Find Instructions Reread paragraphs 66-73 of the story. Then, answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.

From "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor 66 "But nobody's killed," June Star said with disappointment as the grandmother limped out of the car, her hat still pinned to her head but the broken front brim standing up at a jaunty angle and the violet spray hanging off the side. They all sat down in the ditch, except the children, to recover from the shock. They were all shaking. 67 "Maybe a car will come along," said the children's mother hoarsely. 68 "I believe I have injured an organ," said the grandmother, pressing her side, but no one answered her. Bailey's teeth were clattering. He had on a yellow sport shirt with bright blue parrots designed in it and his face was as yellow as the shirt. The grandmother decided that she would not mention that the house was in Tennessee. 69 The road was about ten feet above and they could see only the tops of the trees on the other side of it. Behind the ditch they were sitting in there were more woods, tall and dark and deep. In a few minutes they saw a car some distance away on top of a hill, coming slowly as if the occupants were watching them. The grandmother stood up and waved both arms dramatically to attract their attention. The car continued to come on slowly, disappeared around a bend and appeared again, moving even slower, on top of the hill they had gone over. It was a big black battered hearse-like automobile. There were three men in it. 70 It came to a stop just over them and for some minutes, the driver looked down with a steady expressionless gaze to where they were sitting, and didn't speak. Then he turned his head and muttered something to the other two and they got out. One was a fat boy in black trousers and a red sweat shirt with a silver stallion embossed on the front of it. He moved around on the right side of them and stood staring, his mouth partly open in a kind of loose grin. The other had on khaki pants and a blue striped coat and a gray hat pulled down very low, hiding most of his face. He came around slowly on the left side. Neither spoke. 71 The driver got out of the car and stood by the side of it, looking down at them. He was an older man than the other two. His hair was just beginning to gray and he wore silver-rimmed spectacles that gave him a scholarly look. He had a long creased face and didn't have on any shirt or undershirt. He had on blue jeans that were too tight for him and was holding a black hat and a gun. The two boys also had guns. 72 "We've had an ACCIDENT!" the children screamed. 73 The grandmother had the peculiar feeling that the bespectacled man was someone she knew. His face was as familiar to her as if she had known him all her life but she could not recall who he was. He moved away from the car and began to come down the embankment, placing his feet carefully so that he wouldn't slip. He had on tan and white shoes and no socks, and his ankles were red and thin. "Good afternoon," he said. "I see you all had you a little spill."

Question 5 What is most closely the central idea of the passage below (paragraph 127)? Alone with The Misfit, the grandmother found that she had lost her voice. There was not a cloud in the sky nor any sun. There was nothing around her but woods. She wanted to tell him that he must pray. She opened and closed her mouth several times before anything came out. Finally she found herself saying, "Jesus. Jesus," meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing. A. The grandmother is so overcome by fear she cannot maintain control of her voice. B. The grandmother is angry at Jesus for letting her get into this situation. C. The weather has become strange in response to what is transpiring with the Misfit. D. The grandmother has lost her voice due to laryngitis.

A. The grandmother is so overcome by fear she cannot maintain control of her voice. Correct. The grandmother is overcome with fear, and is unable to speak clearly.

Question 2 In this scene the reader encounters The Misfit. How does the revelation about who he is contribute to the suspense of this scene? A. To create suspense, the driver of the car is portrayed with vivid, descriptive details and the grandmother is described as having a feeling that he is someone she knows, which gives the reader subtle hints about who he is. B. To create suspense, the driver of the car is portrayed as a man with glasses that make him look like a scholar, which gives the reader subtle hints about who he is. C. To create suspense, the driver of the car is described as getting out of the car and standing by it as the grandmother is screaming that they have had an accident, which gives the reader subtle hints about who he is. D. To create suspense, the driver of the car is described as having a gun and no shirt. The grandmother is described as noting that the driver's face is very familiar to her, which gives the reader subtle hints about who he is.

A. To create suspense, the driver of the car is portrayed with vivid, descriptive details and the grandmother is described as having a feeling that he is someone she knows, which gives the reader subtle hints about who he is. Correct. Suspense is created by the author's vivid descriptive details as well as by the grandmother's sensing that she knows the driver from somewhere. This gives the reader hints about who he is.

Question 8 Which sentence from the text best supports the correct answer to Question 7? A. "Nobody had nothing I wanted," he said. B. "It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie." C. "My daddy died in nineteen ought nineteen of the epidemic flu and I never had a thing to do with it." D. "He was buried in the Mount Hopewell Baptist churchyard and you can go there and see for yourself."

B. "It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie." Correct. The Misfit's word is unreliable, and the evidence strongly suggests the "head-doctor" was telling the truth.

Question 3 Which phrase most likely expresses the author's stance in relation to her characters? A. Sentimental engagement B. Ironic detachment C. Scornful mockery D. They are her mouthpiece

B. Ironic detachment Correct. The author seems to have more knowledge about the characters than they do of themselves.

Question 1 What impact does the author's narration of this scene have on the reader? A. It creates comfort, anticipation, and excitement in the reader and sets up the reader for the story's surprise ending. B. It creates discomfort, anticipation, and fear in the reader and sets up the reader for the story's eerie, tragic ending. C. It creates discomfort, anticipation, and fear in the reader and sets up the reader for the story's happy ending. D. It creates comfort, anticipation, and excitement in the reader and sets up the reader for the story's eerie, tragic ending.

B. It creates discomfort, anticipation, and fear in the reader and sets up the reader for the story's eerie, tragic ending. Correct. The author narrates this scene slowly, using lots of subtle, vivid descriptions that create discomfort, anticipation, and fear in the reader.

Question 1 How does the description of Bailey's jaw as "rigid as a horseshoe" in paragraph 49 affect the reader's understanding of this part of the story? A. The description of Bailey's jaw suggests that he is a rigid person but that he is also willing to do things to make his children and mother happy. B. The description of Bailey's jaw suggests that he is determined not to stray off course and implies a lack of flexibility C. The description of Bailey's jaw suggests that he is determined to not stray off course and implies that he has opinions that he is unwilling to change. D. The description of Bailey's jaw suggests that he is determined to stray off course and implies that although he is flexible he does not want to be told what to do.

B. The description of Bailey's jaw suggests that he is determined not to stray off course and implies a lack of flexibility Correct. Bailey is determined not to give in to his children and mother; this can be inferred from this description.

Question 2 How does the conversation that takes place with the proprietor of The Tower most likely contribute to the story? A. It is presented as a necessary pit stop to add realism to the story. B. The grandmother's worldview is given exposition and validation by at least one other person. C. It discredits the grandmother's paranoia and fuzzy nostalgia. D. It supplies local color and comic relief.

B. The grandmother's worldview is given exposition and validation by at least one other person. Correct. The proprietor of the tower shares the grandmother's worldview and shows that it may be a commonly held one.

Question 4 How does the author mostly build a feeling of foreboding? A. With heavy symbolism B. With specific and striking detail C. With loud action sequences D. With a twist ending

B. With specific and striking detail Correct. The author uses specific and striking detail throughout the text to create verisimilitude and a sense of foreboding.

Question 7 What most likely can be inferred from the passage below (paragraph 116)? The Misfit sneered slightly. "Nobody had nothing I wanted," he said. "It was a head-doctor at the penitentiary said what I had done was kill my daddy but I known that for a lie. My daddy died in nineteen ought nineteen of the epidemic flu and I never had a thing to do with it. He was buried in the Mount Hopewell Baptist churchyard and you can go there and see for yourself." A. The Misfit is trying to find a reason to let the grandmother go free. B. The Misfit's father really did die of the Spanish Influenza. C. The Misfit is mentally ill. D. The Misfit was unjustly incarcerated.

C. The Misfit is mentally ill. Correct. It is strongly implied that the Misfit is mentally ill and killed his father.

Question 3 The grandmother has a feeling that she recognizes the driver. How does this realization lead to the story's climax? A. The grandmother realizes that she is mistaken and begins to try to persuade the driver not to kill her and this leads up to the story's climax. B. The grandmother's recognition of the driver makes the reader wonder if he is The Misfit. She then realizes that the man whom she is looking to for help is The Misfit, which is the conflict in the story that leads to the climax. C. The grandmother's recognition of the driver makes the reader wonder if he is The Misfit. She then realizes that the man whom she is looking to for help is The Misfit, and this leads up to the story's climax. D. The grandmother's recognition of the driver makes the reader wonder if the man is related to her. She then realizes that the man whom she is looking to for help is her estranged nephew, and this leads up to the story's climax.

C. The grandmother's recognition of the driver makes the reader wonder if he is The Misfit. She then realizes that the man whom she is looking to for help is The Misfit, and this leads up to the story's climax. Correct. The build up to the climax is enhanced by the grandmother's recognition that the driver is The Misfit and that he is not there to help her and will most likely kill her.

Question 6 Which sentence from the text best supports the correct answer to Question 5? A. Alone with The Misfit, the grandmother found that she had lost her voice. B. There was nothing around her but woods. C. She opened and closed her mouth several times before anything came out. D. Finally she found herself saying, "Jesus. Jesus," meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing.

D. Finally she found herself saying, "Jesus. Jesus," meaning, Jesus will help you, but the way she was saying it, it sounded as if she might be cursing. Correct. This sentence shows that the grandmother has lost her voice, and expresses the fear behind it.

Question 1 Which of the following most closely expresses the point of view from which the story is told? A. Second-person omniscient B. First person C. Third-person omniscient D. Third-person limited

D. Third-person limited Correct. The story is told from a third-person point of view, and the narrator's knowledge is limited to the characters' perspectives.

Question 2 Which word does not have a negative connotation as used in this excerpt of the text? A. desperately B. scream C. blows D. educational

D. educational Correct. The word educational does not have a negative connotation and is used by the grandmother to attempt to calm Bailey down.

penitentiary

Definition: a correctional institution for those convicted of major crimes Sample Sentence: The bank robbers were held in the penitentiary after they were caught.

context clue

Definition: a hint in the surrounding text that can help a reader infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word, phrase, or description

flashback

Definition: a scene in a story, play, movie, or TV show that is set in a time earlier than the events in the main story

delicacy

Definition: an expensive or rare food item Sample Sentence: In some places, fresh fish is a delicacy.

connotation

Definition: an idea or feeling that a word suggests in addition to its literal or primary meaning

jaunty

Definition: showing a happy, cheery, air of confidence Sample Sentence: After getting an A on his paper, Jamal came home in a jaunty mood.

theme

Definition: the central idea or message of a work of literature, often expressed as a general statement about life

Question 10 Place the events in the story in chronological order.

First > The grandmother reads the article about The Misfit to Bailey. Second > The family stops on the road to eat sandwiches. Third > There is a car accident. Fourth > The Misfit and his gang kill the family.

(Skills - Connotation and Denotation) A Good Man Is Hard to Find Instructions Reread paragraphs 49-53 of the story. Then, answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.

From "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor 49 Bailey was looking straight ahead. His jaw was as rigid as a horseshoe. "No," he said. 50 The children began to yell and scream that they wanted to see the house with the secret panel. John Wesley kicked the back of the front seat and June Star hung over her mother's shoulder and whined desperately into her ear that they never had any fun even on their vacation, that they could never do what THEY wanted to do. The baby began to scream and John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could feel the blows in his kidney. 51 "All right!" he shouted and drew the car to a stop at the side of the road. "Will you all shut up? Will you all just shut up for one second? If you don't shut up, we won't go anywhere." 52 "It would be very educational for them," the grandmother murmured. 53 "All right," Bailey said, "but get this: this is the only time we're going to stop for anything like this. This is the one and only time."