Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

​Contents of the Dead Man's Pocket

​Literary Analysis: Conflict and Resolution

Conflict is the struggle between two forces. In an external conflict, a character struggles against an outside force, such as an element of nature or another character. In an internal conflict, a character struggles with his or her own opposing desires, beliefs, or needs. A

resolution occurs when the conflict is settled or resolved.

Writers use suspense, a rising curiosity or anxiety in readers, to build interest in a conflict. To accomplish this, writers may hint at events to come or “stretch out” action that leads up to

an important moment in the story.

​Reading: Reflect of Key Details to Analyze Cause and Effect

A cause is an event, an action, or a situation that produces a result. An effect is the result produced. To better follow a story, analyze causes and effects as you read, determining which earlier events lead to which later events. To analyze causes and effects, reflect on key details,

details that the writer spends time explaining or describing.

​

Subject | Subject

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Reading: Reflect of Key Details to Analyze Cause and Effect

Example of a cause-and-effect sequence from “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”:

Cause: As he picks up the paper, Tom looks down between his legs and sees the street far below.

Effect 1: He instantly becomes terrified and loses his deftness.

Effect 2: The trip back to the window is much more difficult than the trip to the paper had been.

Multiple Choice

At the beginning of the story, what seems to be the most important thing in Tom Benecke’s life?

• opening the window that always sticks

• going to the movies with his wife

• getting paid at the end of the week

• getting a promotion at work

Multiple Choice

Which of the following events happened first in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”?

• Tom thought about what the police would find in his pockets.

• Tom dropped coins from his pockets to the street below.

• Tom watched his wife get ready to go out alone.

• Tom smashed his fist through the window.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following events causes Tom to go out on the ledge?

• Tom does research on store displays.

• Clare goes to the movies alone.

• Tom’s paper flies out the window.

• Tom puts on his coat.

Multiple Choice

Which event in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” causes Tom to panic?

• His wife goes to the movies.

• He sees the street below him.

• He thinks about the contents of his pockets.

• He sees a man reading a newspaper across the street.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a moment of high suspense in the story?

• Clare leaves.

• Tom looks down and panics.

• Tom stares through the window into his living room.

• Tom sees the yellow paper fly out the window a second time.

Multiple Choice

Why doesn’t Tom simply wait for his wife to come home and help him?

• He thinks she probably would not notice him out on the ledge.

• She will become very angry if she comes home and finds him on the ledge.

• She had left early to see the second feature and would not be home for hours.

• He wants to get off the ledge and join her at the movies.

Multiple Choice

Why does Tom change his attitude toward life?

• His wife goes to the movies alone.

• He almost falls off the ledge and dies.

• He smashes his fist through the window.

• The paper flies out the window again.

Multiple Choice

Often, a seemingly minor detail mentioned early in a short story becomes very important later. Which of the following details later becomes important to Tom’s efforts to get back into his apartment?

• The window is hard to open.

• It is hot in the apartment.

• Clare is slender and pretty.

• Tom puts on his jacket.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of internal conflict in “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket”?

• Tom’s efforts to open the window

• Tom’s struggle to stay on the ledge

• Tom’s attempts to get someone’s attention

• Tom’s struggle to overcome his fear

Multiple Choice

What does Tom decide the contents of his pockets would say about him if he were to fall and die?

• His life had been wasted.

• He did not love his wife.

• He should have gotten a promotion.

• He was a selfish and foolish man.

Multiple Choice

In “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” Tom has an important realization during his terrible experience on the ledge. What is this realization?

• He will never get ahead at work.

• He hasn’t put enough effort into his work.

• He wants to spend more time with his wife.

• He is going to fall off the ledge and die.

Multiple Choice

What is “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” mostly about?

• a man and the contents of his pockets

• a man who does not think about his actions

• a man and woman who go to the movies

• a man whose desire for a promotion at work nearly kills him

Match

Match the following

• convoluted

• verified

• deftness

twisted in a complicated way

proved to be true

skillfulness

• twisted in a complicated way

• proved to be true

• skillfulness

Match

Match the following

• imperceptibly

• reveling

• interminable

so slowly or slightly as to be barely noticeable

taking great pleasure or delight

endless or seeming endless

• so slowly or slightly as to be barely noticeable

• taking great pleasure or delight

• endless or seeming endless