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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 Aberdeen feel about Ruth?

2. What did Walter and Serafina call Ruth?

3. What did Isabel and Curzon do to ensure the area near the milestone was safe before coming out of the woods?

4. How did Isabel get the scar on her cheek?

5. At Riverbend, why did Isabel climb out of the tree in a rush?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why did Isabel say to Curzon, “I know better than you what the pain of fire can do a person” (66)?

4. Why did Serafina think Ruth should leave with Isabel?

5. Why did Isabel and Curzon need to hide from the British soldiers?

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

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

8. After leaving Riverbend, Isabel stated that Curzon was growing more short-tempered by the day. What did she think was the cause of his change in mood?

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

10. Why did Isabel and Curzon head to Riverbend instead of Charleston to look for Ruth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In a tender moment, Serafina tells Isabel, "Don't forget how to be gentle" (39). Write an essay exploring the ways in which this statement manifests as a major theme of Ashes.

Essay Topic 2

Isabel often jumps to conclusions about what people are thinking based on their actions. Write an essay describing some situations in which she does this and explaining how it affects the way she interacts with her companions.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay exploring the theme of finding one's purpose in Ashes. Where does this theme originate? Which characters have a purpose? How do the characters' purposes grow and change throughout the novel?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 953 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample