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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. When did the Battle of Horseshoe Bend take place?

2. Whose voice does Captain Kidd say this celestial voice in Chapter 8 resembles?

3. What is Johanna doing in the hotel room when Captain Kidd gets back with Mrs. Gannet in Chapter 9?

4. What is the meaning of the song Johanna sings as she and Captain Kidd make their way to Spanish Fort?

5. When was Captain Kidd born?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Johanna run off to in Chapter 7, and how does Captain Kidd get her back?

2. What arrangements does Captain Kidd for Johanna make when he arrives in Dallas?

3. What kind of wagon does Captain Kidd buy, to take Johanna back to Castroville in?

4. Who are Simon and Doris, and how do they help Captain Kidd with Johanna?

5. How does Captain Kidd get Johanna out of her Kiowa dress and into western clothes?

6. What was it that made Captain Kidd want to be a news reader?

7. What Jefferson Kidd’s experience at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend?

8. What is Captain Kidd’s approach to reading local news?

9. How does the narrator characterize the political situation in Texas while Captain Kidd and Johanna are making their trip?

10. Why is Britt Johnson hesitant to take Johanna to San Antonio himself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The frontier has always been attractive to Americans as a place where each person gets to make their own law, and there is not a single law or cultural authority. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the lawlessness of the frontier in News of the World? Who benefits by it, and who loses? What will it take for the frontier culture to transition to the culture Captain Kidd cites from Hammurabi, where the law is the same for king and peasant alike?

Essay Topic 2

In what ways is News of the World relevant to contemporary readers? What contemporary issues are in play in the book, and how would the book contribute to contemporary discussion? Cite specific discussions from contemporary sources, and cite specific instances from the book, that describe its contemporary relevance.

Essay Topic 3

What topics would you like to research further, after reading News of the World. Describe why additional research or reading would be beneficial to an understanding of this book. Propose a list of articles or books you would read in order to get a better handle on News of the World.

(see the answer keys)

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