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

2. What does Harris warn Poe to do when he releases him from jail in Book Two?

3. Who comes to lock Poe up in the jail in the woods in Book Two?

4. How does Isaac make his way out of town when he first disappears in Book Two?

5. What does Isaac realize he left at the murder scene in Book One?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the murder in Book One influence the characters of Isaac and Poe?

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

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

4. Where do Isaac and Poe encounter the three drifters in Book One? Who are the drifters and how are they described?

5. The theme of fatalism plays a large part in American Rust. How does fatalism apply to the murder of Otto?

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

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

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

9. What happens when Billy Poe is officially arrested for murder in Book Two?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss Isaac's journey in the narrative. Where does Isaac travel to and how does he get there? Whom does Isaac meet along his journey? How does Isaac's journey change him as a character?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the events surrounding the murder that Isaac commits. Where does the murder take place? What events lead up to the murder? Do you think that Isaac is justified in committing the murder? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the character of Bud Harris in American Rust. What is Harris's position in Buell? What is his relationship to Grace and Billy Poe? What actions does Harris commit in the narrative? Are these actions noble or dishonorable? Why?

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This section contains 900 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample