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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 Ruth slap Isabel?

2. Who did Ruth think they were looking for in the crowd of soldiers in Chapter XXVII?

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

4. How did Ruth greet the French soldier she recognized?

5. How did the men in Curzon's company treat Ruth and Isabel?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Isabel say that her purpose was to find Ruth some gingerbread?

2. Why was the British soldier in the woods deserting his army?

3. Why did Isabel tell Widow Hallahan that Ruth had been shoveling donkey dung?

4. What did Isabel mean when she said, "I am my own army" (126)?

5. What kind of person was Miss Marrow?

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

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

8. Why did Isabel believe it was foolish for Curzon to support the Patriots?

9. Why did Isabel not tell Ruth the truth about Aberdeen?

10. Why did Mister Hallahan not pay Isabel for her work in the tavern?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout Ashes, Isabel's relationships with all of the other major characters change. Write an essay analyzing how changes in Isabel's relationship with Ruth cause changes in her relationships with other characters, like Curzon and Aberdeen.

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

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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