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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. How did Ruth react when Isabel tried to complement her strength in the beginning of their travels together?

2. Why were Serafina and Walter not trying to escape?

3. How did Isabel kill the rattlesnake?

4. Which of the following was NOT a reason why Curzon wanted to stop in Willamsburg?

5. Who were Kate and Elspeth?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Isabel want people who saw her and Ruth wandering around town to think they were slaves?

2. How did Curzon help ease tensions upon their arrival at Riverbend?

3. Why did Isabel cry when talking to Serafina?

4. What clues led Isabel to believe that Aberdeen was lying about his butcher shop job?

5. What kind of stories did Isabel tell Ruth while she was sleeping?

6. What did Curzon mean when he said, "Lazarus is a lass" (81)?

7. How does Anderson begin each chapter in Ashes?

8. What is the narrative point of view of Ashes?

9. Why did Isabel think that Curzon should not go searching for food for Ruth?

10. What did Isabel believe was the worst thing that slave owners did to slaves?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The cover flap of Ashes claims it is a "heart-pounding and riveting story." Write an essay in which you explain the literary devices and techniques that Anderson uses to create a narrative is heart-pounding and riveting.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay explaining how descriptions of military tactics fit into Isabel's narrative in Ashes. Describe why Anderson chose to include these sometimes detailed descriptions and the importance they play in the novel.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout Ashes, we learn about Isabel's inner world through her self-talk as narrator. What does the reader learn about Isabel by being able to witness her thinking? How does Anderson's choice of a first-person limited narrator affect the plot and mood of Ashes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 898 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample