View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where are the vigilantes from that hang Slade?

2. How much property does it reportedly take to accumulate a fortune in mining?

3. How many miles away from St. Joseph have the narrator and his brother traveled by the end of Chapter IX?

4. According to the driver, what lake do the Mormons gather saleratus from?

5. How does Twain describe the book in the Prefatory?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator help his brother in writing to the government for money?

2. How does the narrator describe the coyotes he sees?

3. How long is the Prefatory in Roughing It, and what is its purpose?

4. What skills does Captain John Nye have, and how does he help the narrator and his party?

5. What causes the narrator to marvel at the sight of the Rocky Mountains?

6. How is the breakfast that the narrator is served in Nebraska described, and what future traveling accommodations does he compare his situation to?

7. How does Slade die and what point does the narrator make about it?

8. As stated in the Prefatory, what is Twain's intention in writing Roughing It?

9. What is the situation of Mr. Street and how does it provide an example of Utah's way of governing for the narrator?

10. What is the experience the narrator has in buying a horse in Carson City?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Writing is a very important factor for the narrator in Roughing It and is a crucial element in his success at the end of the book.

1) Describe how the narrator's gift of words and communication is presented throughout the story.

2) Explain how the narrator uses his skills to begin a successful career at the end of the story and why this is both a natural and ironic choice for him.

3) Analyze how the narrator finds success when he uses his ability to write by describing 3 examples from the book. Also, include Twain's conclusion about traveling, and how writing inspires him to use his experiences in a historic way that has a lasting effect on future generations.

Essay Topic 2

Slade is a character that depicts the roughness of the West during the late 1800s.

1) Describe Slade's background in detail, including his reputation and how he gained it.

2) Explain how Slade dies and what it represents in the way violent criminals face death.

3) Describe the event that occurs between the narrator and Slade, how the narrator reacts, and what his reasons are.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the historical significance of Roughing It by explaining the value and uniqueness of the first hand account being provided. In your analysis, answer the following questions: What are the most significant events that the narrator witnesses? How is the process of silver mining described? What are the "flush times" and how do they affect the narrator and other people living in the West? What other changes have a big impact on Western life? In what way does the media contribute to the actions of the narrator and other would be miners? How does the information in the book support Twain's intentions of writing it as stated in the Prefatory?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,098 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample