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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 did Walter speak loudly to the horses?

2. What caused Ruth's fever?

3. Curzon left his fellow travelers when Ruth was sick; when he returned, what did he bring with him?

4. Which of the following did the travelers eat on their journey from Riverbend?

5. Why did Isabel not trust the Patriot army?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Aberdeen know Ruth better than Isabel did?

2. Why did Isabel see when she looked at Ruth through "a stranger's eyes" (91) in Chapter XVI?

3. When Isabel arrived at Riverbend, what had changed about Ruth since the last time she saw her?

4. What advice did Walter give Ruth before leaving her with Isabel, Curzon and Aberdeen?

5. How did Isabel and Ruth get jobs at the laundry?

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

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

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

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

The resolution of Ashes is hopeful but still realistic. Write an essay that describes how the events in this last section of the book drive the plot towards a resolution of this nature, and theorize what messages Anderson hopes to send by ending the book in this way.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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