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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 kind of condition was Aberdeen in when Ruth unknowingly led Isabel to him?

2. Who were the "camp followers"?

3. What was a redoubt?

4. What did the British deserter in the woods say that he had been ordered to do?

5. What did Curzon promise Isabel during their first real conversation after Isabel's arrival at the army camp?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Curzon's manner like when he encountered Isabel and Ruth at his company's camp?

2. How did Isabel's narration during her fake kiss with Curzon indicate that she may have had romantic feelings towards him?

3. How did Missus Serafina's advice help Isabel mend her relationship with Ruth?

4. Why was Ebeneezer angry with Curzon?

5. What did Isabel do in preparation to leave the laundry in Williamsburg?

6. Why was Aberdeen curious about Isabel favoring the British?

7. Why was Isabel cheered by Kate and Elspeth's frustration at the extra work they had to do after the storm?

8. Why was Isabel angered when she heard the minister's sermon at Bruton Parish Church?

9. What did Isabel mean when she said, "We had been forced back into war for our liberty" (151)?

10. Why did Isabel decide that she and Ruth could not travel with the women of the army?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How are Isabel, Ruth, Curzon, and other black characters treated by white characters in Ashes? Which white characters treat them with respect? Which white characters treat them poorly? What message is Anderson trying to send about racism?

Essay Topic 2

The other soldiers in the Rhode Island regiment are minor characters and so do not have distinct personalities, save for perhaps Henry; nonetheless they play an important role in the resolution of the novel. Write an essay that explains how these characters support both the romantic and political conflicts in Ashes.

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)

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