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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. Who is the hotel manager that Grace informs about Chester Gillette’s identity in the novel?

2. What did Mattie’s mother die from in the novel?

3. Why is the farm not producing as well as it once was, according to the narrator in Chapter 7?

4. Where was the historical figure of Chester Gillette born?

5. What is the name of Royal Loomis’s father in the novel?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is the character of Weaver Smith described when he is introduced in Chapter 2?

2. Why has Uncle Fifty left in Chapter 12? How does his departure affect Mattie?

3. Where does Mattie shop for books and other items in Chapter 6? What does she find here?

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

5. What exchange takes place between Pa and Miss Wilcox in Chapter 12? What repercussions does this have for Mattie?

6. How is the character of Grace Brown depicted in the novel? What is the historical truth of this character?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the theme of duty and obligation as seen in A Northern Light. How are Mattie’s duties to her family at odds with her desires to become a writer? When in your experience have you had to choose between duty and desire? What do you think Mattie should choose? Why?

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 Mattie’s ambitions as a writer. Who are Mattie’s favorite authors? What does she want to write novels about? How realistic are her ambitions as a young woman during this time period?

(see the answer keys)

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