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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. Why is progress stopped in the Argentina mine?

2. Where do the Wards go after New Almaden?

3. What happened on the day Susan first arrived in Leadville?

4. Who is Shelley Rasmussen?

5. Rodman is concerned about his father living alone because

Short Essay Questions

1. Is Susan a good caretaker?

2. How is the trip from Denver to Leadville symbolic of the Wards' marriage?

3. What does Lyman hope to accomplish during the writing about his grandparents' lives?

4. Why is Oliver unsuccessful in his attempts to market his invention?

5. How are the scenes in this chapter different from all the ones before and after as far as the marriage between Oliver and Susan?

6. Why is Lyman so uncomfortable around Shelley?

7. How is Lyman's situation similar to that of Oliver?

8. Why do Lyman and Al become better friends in the present than they were as children?

9. In what ways in this chapter does the author remind the reader of Susan's issues?

10. How is Shelley's problem with her husband similar to Susan's problems with Oliver?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Susan maintain her genteel style of living even in the wild west? Give specific examples and why these items or styles were important to maintain the gentility.

Essay Topic 2

How is Rodman different from his father? Does Lyman admire his son or resent him? Does Rodman respect his father or see him as a chore and an obligation?

Essay Topic 3

How does the author expound on his theme of the importance of choosing the right spouse, or how the choice of a marriage partner rules our life?

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