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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. Mattie describes a noisy boy going through the crowd at the hanging and selling what?

2. How far does Mattie say the distance was between their family stead and Fort Smith, Arkansas, in Chapter 1?

3. How much money does Mattie take with her when she and Yarnell go to see about her father’s body in Chapter 2?

4. Mattie says in Chapter 3, “About the only outlaws in our country who ever went to Federal Court were "moonshiners" like” who?

5. What is described as the highest point in Arkansas in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mattie describe the execution of the Indian in Chapter 2?

2. How does Mattie describe the scene when she arrives at the Federal Courthouse to seek out Rooster Cogburn in Chapter 3? Who is being brought in?

3. What is the principle setting of the story? Where does Mattie’s family live?

4. What agreement do Mattie Ross and Colonel Stonehill reach regarding their settlement in Chapter 3?

5. How was Mattie Ross’s father killed in the narrative? Where was he killed?

6. How much does Mattie pay for the embalming and coffin for her father? Why does this distress Yarnell?

7. Who is the executioner in Chapter 2? How is this character described?

8. How does Mattie describe the setting of the hanging in Chapter 2?

9. What is revealed of Rooster Cogburn during the trial in Chapter 3?

10. What does Mattie say in regards to the innocence or evil of animals in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the history of hanging and capital punishment in the United States, particularly in the South, during the late 1800s. What was the largest mass hanging in the U.S.? When did the last execution by public hanging take place? How common were occurrences such as the public hanging in Chapter 2?

Essay Topic 2

Describe the real-life figure of Judge Isaac Parker. For how many years was Parker a Federal Judge? By what nickname was Parker known at this time? How many executions did Judge Parker order? What does Judge Parker represent to Mattie in the story? What are Mattie’s feelings about Parker’s system of justice?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the characters of U.S. marshals William Waters, L.T. Quinn, and Rooster Cogburn as described by the sheriff in Chapter 2. What makes Mattie Ross choose Rooster Cogburn based on the sheriff’s descriptions? Why does Mattie not choose the “law abiding” marshal? What qualities make her choose Rooster?

(see the answer keys)

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