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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 are the friends that Harris meets at the bar in Book Four?

2. How does Isaac manage to lose the cops in the beginning of Book Four?

3. Where did Harris's friends at the bar work previously in Book Four?

4. What is Otto referred to as throughout the narrative?

5. Who does Grace believe committed the murder in Book Three?

Short Essay Questions

1. What foreshadowing is revealed through Poe's inner monologues in Book Four?

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

3. What information does Glen Patacki relate to Harris in Book Three?

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

5. What do Grace and Harris discuss when he visits her in Book Four?

6. What leads up to the cafeteria fight between Poe and another inmate in Book Three?

7. What is Lee's response after a police officer comes to look for her brother in Book Three?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the language style of the novel. How would you describe the author's approach to dialogue? In what ways does the language style of the novel reflect upon its characters and themes? What are some examples of literary devices used throughout the narrative?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of decay in American Rust. How is this theme developed through character? How is the theme developed through setting? How does the author employ symbolism connected with this theme?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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