"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy Final Test Review

After the man and the boy leave the gas station, they go back to rummage through the trash. What do they go back for?

oil

The cart the man is pushing is an old shopping cart. What has the man added to the handle and why has he added this?

He has added a motorcycle mirror so they can look behind them

The man gives the boy a special treat in the abandoned supermarket, but he only takes a little bit himself. What does the man give to the boy?

Coca-cola

What direction are the man and boy traveling?

South

"You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget"(12). Why does the man say this?

he is cautioning his son about looking at upsetting things, like corpses in the road

What do the man and the boy do when they stop to look at the waterfall? How does this develop their relationship in the book?

they swim

As they are coming down out of the mountains, they find a man on the road. What has happened to this man?

he was struck by lightning

After they leave the man on the road, the boy starts crying. Why is the boy doing this?

he is very compassionate and caring

After the man threw his wallet into the woods, he left something on the road. What was it?

wife's picture

What happened to the man's wife?

committed suicide

What happens to the man who comes down from the road to use the bathroom?

gets killed and then eaten

When the man leaves the boy alone, what does he make sure to leave with the child?

the pistol

What did the man make for the boy?

flute

While rummaging through the abandoned town, the boy sees something that he chases. What does he chase after?

a boy

What is the definition of woad according to this quote?

"The teeth in their sockets like dental molds, the crude tattoos etched in some homebrewed woad faded in the beggared sunlight."

dye

While the man and the boy were resting in the old orchard a caravan of people walked past them. Who did they see at the end after the wagon?

slaves, pregnant women, and young boys

As they sleep in the woods, they are awakened by a loud noise. What causes this noise?

trees falling

When the man and the boy opened the hatch door in the big house, what did they find?

men and women being held captive

When the man and the boy are hiding after finding the captives in the big house, he gives the boy the gun. What does he initially expect the boy to do with the gun?

shoot himself in case the worst occurs

At the farmhouse, even though it is cold, the man walks barefoot through the grass. What is he looking for?

more apples but doesn't want to step on one by accident

The man sees a reflection in a mirror that startles him. Whose reflection does he see?

his and the boy's

The man felt that they would surely die of starvation, but then he found something that saved their lives. What did he find?

a bomb-shelter

After finding food and before they eat their big breakfast of scrambled eggs and coffee, the boy feels it is important to

thank the people

What did the man use to cover the hatch so they wouldn't be found?

a mattress

Why did the man make fake wooden bullets and load them into the gun?

to scare bad guys away by fooling them with fake bullets

What do they get when they leave to go into town to the market?

a new grocery cart

When Ely saw the man and the boy, what did he believe had happened?

he had died and the boy was an angel

What did the man and the boy give to Ely before they left him on the road?

some cans of fruits and vegetables

What did the boy forget to do which prevented them from being able to cook on the propane stove?

forgot to turn it off

What was the man's reaction to the boy forgetting?

blamed himself

The boy is very excited about something he found. What is it?

a train

Who gets sick with a fever for several days?

the man

As they are traveling, they reach a disturbing place in the road where everything was "melted and black". What is there that makes the man say to the boy, "I don't think you should see this?"

burnt people

Why did the 3 men and pregnant woman leave their campsite so abruptly?

heard someone coming

What did the man and the boy see that the 3 men and woman left behind?

an infant roasting on the fire

The man and the boy find a house where they stay for a few days. What do they take from the house?

new clothes, some food, and a wheelbarrow

What has the boy seen for the first time and why is he disappointed?

the ocean and it wasn't blue; it was black