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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the Indian woman try to hit Michael Rowen with in Scene Two of The Courtship of Morning Star?

2. In Scene Four of The Courtship of Morning Star, how does Morning star respond when Michael Rowen pulls her into his lap and begins kissing her?

3. In Play Two, The Courtship of Morning Star, what does Michael Rowen claim he does when he is just seven years old?

4. Why is Randall Talbert running away in Play Five?

5. What does Michael Rowen say he wants when he appears at Earl Tod's campfire in Play One?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways does Jed's experience fighting with Quantrill parallel his experience fighting with his father against the Talberts?

2. What does the infected blanket Michael Rowen gives the Indians in Play One, Masters of the Trade, symbolize?

3. Discuss how Tommy helps Abe get hired at the mines in Scene Two of Play Seven.

4. How is Ezekiel Rowen's nickname of Preacher ironic?

5. Who is Mother Jones in Play Seven?

6. Describe Jed Rowen's dream at the beginning of Play Five, God's Great Supper.

7. What does J.T. talk Jed Rowen into selling in Scene Two of Play Six and does Jed fully understand what he is selling?

8. What kind of soldier is Richard Talbert once he gets to the battle field in Play Five, God's Great Supper?

9. At the beginning of Play Seven, what is wrong with Mary Anne's son, Joshua, and how is Mary Anne coping with it?

10. Mary Anne Rowen tells Joshua at the end of Play Seven that the union is now his family. In what ways is the coal miners' union like a family to the miners?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Several murders occur in The Kentucky Cycle. Discuss Michael Rowen's murder of Sam, Patrick Rowen's murders of Michael Rowen and Joe Talbert, and Jed Rowen's murder of Richard Talbert. What motivates each of these killings and what theme(s) or lesson(s) do you think the author is trying to convey through these incidents? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters of Michael Rowen, Patrick Rowen, and Joshua Rowen in The Kentucky Cycle. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Revenge is one of the themes in The Kentucky Cycle. Pick any three of the plays in the book and discuss what you think the author is trying to say about revenge in each one. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

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