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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 does Grace say Virgil is when Harris comes to visit her in Book Three?

2. What does Harris promise to Grace in the end of Book Four?

3. What word from Book Four refers to an instance of turning something aside from its course?

4. How is the cafeteria at the prison segregated?

5. Where do Grace and Harris meet in the end of Book Four?

Short Essay Questions

1. What internal conflict does Poe face while in solitary confinement in Book Four?

2. What is the resulting outcome of Poe's fight in the cafeteria in Book Three?

3. What does Bud Harris discuss with his friends Riley, Chester, and Frank at the Dead End bar in Book Four?

4. What ultimatum does Billy Poe face with the white prison gang in Book Three? What is demonstrated through this ultimatum?

5. How is the theme of decay illustrated in Book Three of American Rust?

6. How has Billy Poe's character evolved in Book Four? What has led to the changes in Poe's character?

7. What is foreshadowed by the conversation between Grace and Harris in Book Four?

8. How has Isaac English's character evolved in Book Four? How does the author illustrate the changes in Isaac?

9. What inner conflicts does Grace Poe face in the beginning of Book Three?

10. What leads up to the conflict between Poe and his cell-mate in Book Four? What is the outcome of the conflict?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of suicide in American Rust. What characters have committed, attempt to commit, or do commit suicide in the novel? Why do they commit suicide? What do you think this indicates?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the opinions of Buell's townspeople following Poe's arrest. What gossip has emerged within the town? What gossip emerges regarding Harris's involvement in the case? What are the repercussions of this gossip?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the setting of the Fayette prison in the novel. How do the rules and morals within the prison differ from those in the outside world? How do Poe's experiences in the prison change him? Who are the major characters introduced at Fayette prison?

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