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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. Who was Miss Marrow?

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

3. Which of the following did Isabel like about working in the tavern?

4. What are lobsterbacks?

5. What led Isabel to believe that Mister Hallahan had destroyed their free papers?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Isabel think digging the trench was a bad idea?

2. What kind of person was Miss Marrow?

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

4. Why did Ruth's worry about Aberdeen increase as time went on?

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

6. Why did Isabel think that Ruth burned the free papers?

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

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

9. Why was Isabel grateful that Ruth did not say anything in the presence of Sergeant Armstrong?

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

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

In the scene in which Ruth reveals her fear of being abandoned by Isabel because of her being "stupid." Isabel tells Ruth that she is not stupid. Do you think Ruth is "stupid"? When answering this question, be sure to consider Ruth's strengths as well as her weaknesses.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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