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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. What made Isabel most nervous about working at the laundry?

2. What advice did Isabel receive from the short serving woman she met on the main street of Williamsburg?

3. How did Curzon disturb the rattlesnake?

4. How did Isabel feel when Curzon proposed that they split up in Williamsburg?

5. Why did Isabel not trust the Patriot army?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Why did Isabel cry when talking to Serafina?

6. How does Anderson begin each chapter in Ashes?

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

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

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

10. How did Anderson illustrate Ruth’s love of animals throughout their time at Riverbend?

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

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

Any novel set during a war is obviously rife with external conflict. But characters in Ashes all experience internal conflict as well. Choose three characters from Ashes and analyze one major internal conflict, as well as one major external conflict, that each one faces. Which conflict affects each character most?

(see the answer keys)

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