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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. Where did Ruby hide a gun?

2. Who threw Cecil out of the house?

3. Why does Burr think Jack has taken the sheets off the bed?

4. When was the happiest week of Ruby's life?

5. What did Jack like to do to Cecil?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Tiny Fran leave Burr?

2. What did Cecil come to Jack and Ruby's house to do?

3. What did Jack and Ruby think happens to the soul after death?

4. Who did Jack hire as a housekeeper, and what happened to make him fire the housekeeper?

5. Why did Frances get mad at Ruby during Tiny Fran's wedding?

6. What did Roland finally get arrested for?

7. How did Ruby remember first meeting Jack?

8. After Ruby's spirit does not visit, what does Jack do the next day?

9. Before leaving home, what had been Ruby's experience with cooking?

10. Who did Tiny Fran blame for the way Roland turned out? Who did Jack and Burr blame?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore and discuss examples of social class divisions within the story, being sure to touch upon:

a) Race.

b) Stereotypes.

c) Morality.

Be sure to cite examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Ruby gives up her ownership of land that she inherited while Jack feels a sense of ownership for fields he has no title for. Explore why both character's feelings are both right as well as wrong.

Essay Topic 3

After writing fifteen chapters with Jack and Ruby as narrators, the author switches narrative styles in the last chapter to third person omnipotent. Explain why having dual narrators was not only beneficial, but critical to the story, and why it was necessary to switch styles for the ending.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 694 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample