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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who shoves his hands into Poe's pants during the fight at the car factory in Book One?
(a) Jesus.
(b) Murray.
(c) Juan.
(d) Otto.

2. How old is Poe in Book One?
(a) 20.
(b) 19.
(c) 21.
(d) 23.

3. Whom does Grace consider sleeping with in order to get money for a lawyer for her son in Book Two?
(a) Turner.
(b) Vincent.
(c) Her boss.
(d) Poe.

4. How does Isaac escape when he and Poe are initially confronted by the vagrants in the car factory?
(a) He claims he has to urinate.
(b) He claims he has epilepsy.
(c) He claims he has a phone call.
(d) He claims he has a car outside.

5. Who steps up as an eyewitness that claims he can identify the murderer in Book Two?
(a) Murray Clark.
(b) Steve Ho.
(c) John Hicks.
(d) Don Cunko.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Harris's friend on the city council that is under investigation?

2. How much money has Issac stolen from his father in Book One?

3. Whom does Poe tell Lee is responsible for the murder in Book Two?

4. What does Poe do to his car when he gets home in Book Two?

5. What do Isaac and Poe agree to do when they return to the car factory after the murder in Book One?

Short Essay Questions

1. What secrets are revealed in Book Two? How do these secrets serve the plot?

2. How does the theme of fatalism apply to Grace and Billy Poe in Book One?

3. What political struggles and conflicts plague Bud Harris in Book Two?

4. How is Isaac English described when his character is introduced in Book One? What are Isaac's circumstances in the beginning of the novel?

5. What does Poe reveal to Lee about the murder in Book Two? How does she respond?

6. What importance does the setting of American Rust play in the story?

7. Where does Isaac plan to travel in Book One? Why?

8. What internal conflicts does Poe face in the beginning of Book Two?

9. What happens when Harris confronts Poe in the woods in Book Two?

10. In Book Two, the language surrounding Isaac's narrative begins to transition. What purpose does this transition serve?

(see the answer keys)

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