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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. How old is Louisa Gokey in the novel?

2. What age was Minnie Compeau when she left school?

3. What work does Mattie do for Aunt Josie?

4. Emily Baxter is said to be what kind of writer in the novel?

5. Where did Uncle Fifty show up drunk and passed out when he arrived at Mattie’s family home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mattie discover through Grace Brown’s letter in Chapter 16? What does this clue indicate to Mattie?

2. What purchase does Mattie impulsively make in Chapter 6? What are her thoughts on this action?

3. How is Mattie’s family characterized in Chapter 1? What central tensions in the family are introduced in this chapter?

4. How is Minnie Compeau’s character described in Chapter 2?

5. How does Mattie feel about her involvement in the crisis that occurs in the opening of the novel?

6. How is Mattie’s father described in the novel? What are his principle concerns in the beginning of the story?

7. Why does Mattie ask her Aunt Josie for financial help in Chapter 8?

8. What parallels does Mattie make between her situation and that of Grace Brown in Chapter 10?

9. What does Mattie realize while out boating with Royal Loomis in Chapter 15? How does she feel about the realization?

10. How is the character of Emmie Hubbard described? What information does the reader learn of Emmie’s situation in Chapter 14?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The narrative of A Northern Light rotates between two different timelines. Discuss the linear structure of the plot and the author’s reasons for developing the plot in this way. How do the events in the two timelines relate to one another? How does the author develop tension using this narrative style?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the characters of Emmie Hubbard and the Hubbard children in the novel. What relationship does Mattie have with the Hubbards? What is Emmie Hubbard’s greatest obstacle in the story? How is this obstacle eventually overcome?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the theme of appearances versus reality in the novel. How does this theme apply to Miss Wilcox? How does it apply in the letters of Grace Brown? What other characters exhibit an unexpected secret?

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