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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is Shelley Rasmussen?
(a) Ada's lesbian lover
(b) The gardener's wife
(c) She is the daughter of Ada, the Housekeeper and becomes Lyman's transcriptionist
(d) Lyman's longtime girlfriend

2. Where do Susan and the baby go when he takes the job?
(a) They stay in Santa Cruz with Mrs. Elliott
(b) Back to Milton, New York, to live with Susan's parents
(c) with Oliver
(d) Mexico

3. Who is charged with the care of Pricey after his injury?
(a) Frank
(b) Lizzie
(c) Ollie
(d) Susan

4. Why does Lyman begin fictionalizing his grandparents' lives in a novel?
(a) Lyman has no experience in writing
(b) They are not famous enough for a non-fiction biography, and it will help him understand them better this way.
(c) Lyman has long wanted to write a romance novel
(d) Shelley suggested this form to him

5. What is the purpose of Rodman's discussion with Lyman concerning Oliver's time at Deadwood?
(a) To remind the reader that Rodman and Lyman are related
(b) To test Lyman's mental faculties
(c) To show Rodman's interest in his father's book
(d) It allows the author to cover the time Oliver spent in Deadwood without the usual narration or correspondence plot devices.

6. What is the name of the big black dog that Oliver has for Susan's protection?
(a) Willlie
(b) Bruce
(c) Stranger
(d) Fido

7. What was Susan's overall impression of the mine workers?
(a) They were ignorant and mean
(b) They were happy and tanned
(c) They did not know what they were doing
(d) They appeared to be in a cruel and harsh environment, like a prison

8. Who is Clarence King?
(a) Susan's employer
(b) Oliver's boss
(c) Director of the Geological Survey and a writer
(d) Frank's father

9. Why didn't Oliver send the train fare for his wife and her maid?
(a) He did send it, but it got lost in the mail
(b) He forgot
(c) He gambled away the money
(d) He did not have the money to send

10. Why is everyone concerned about Larry being around Shelley?
(a) Because Larry once threatened to cut Shelley's throat.
(b) Because Larry has a bad cold
(c) Because Shelley is pregnant with Lyman's child
(d) Because Shelley is allergic to Larry's cologne

11. Why is progress stopped in the Argentina mine?
(a) Ownership has been questioned and it is tied up in litigation.
(b) There is nothing to mine there
(c) It has been moved to Denver
(d) An explosion closed the mine

12. Why does Lyman Ward return to his family home?
(a) To serve as a marriage counselor to Ada.
(b) To start a relationship with Shelley Rasmussen.
(c) To drink beer and watch television all day long.
(d) To escape from the present and explore his family's history for answers to his own life.

13. What sad news does Augusta's first letter to Susan in New Almaden include?
(a) Thomas has passed away
(b) Thomas has lost his job
(c) Augusta and Thomas's baby died of diptheria
(d) Augusta and Thomas are divorcing

14. Why does Lyman resist Shelley's suggestions?
(a) He is not writing for a modern reader, but as a way to find out more about himself through his family history.
(b) He does not understand her meaning
(c) He is jealous of her writing abilities
(d) She does not express her suggestions well.

15. Why does Susan find the advice confusing?
(a) Susan does not speak Mrs. Elliott's language
(b) Mrs. Elliott is recommending Susan make her husband happy, after Mrs. Elliott has endorsed womens rights.
(c) Susan has a hearing problem
(d) Susan is unable to understand the situation

Short Answer Questions

1. Why is Al Sutton important to this story?

2. What does Susan encourage Oliver to do instead of moving their family to another country?

3. Oliver is offered a mining job in another country - which one?

4. Who is Rodman?

5. Who is Lizzie?

(see the answer keys)

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