View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On their wedding day, where does the couple eat?
(a) In San Antonio.
(b) In the dining car.
(c) Sack lunches on the train.
(d) In Yellow Sky.

2. What is the reaction of the Mexicans in the bar when they hear about Scratchy?
(a) They exit the bar.
(b) They turn the table over and take cover behiind it.
(c) They go to the back of the bar.
(d) They get behind the bar.

3. What do all the men in the bar do as Scratcy approaches?
(a) They get quiet.
(b) They begin arguing.
(c) They start drinking.
(d) They play cards and act as if nothing is wrong.

4. How many miles is it from one end of the state to the other?
(a) 2,000.
(b) 500.
(c) 1,000.
(d) 1,500.

5. How many minutes before the train arrives in Yellow Sky are the men talking in the bar?
(a) One hour.
(b) Twenty.
(c) Thirty.
(d) Twenty-one.

Short Answer Questions

1. What town has Jack traveled to?

2. What is the drummer doing?

3. What do the men in the bar say as they hear Scratchy approaching?

4. What does the porter do when he sees them run from the train?

5. Who waits on the couple when they eat?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the significance of the Mexicans in the bar.

2. Jack shows his new bride the train with the pride of an owner. He lavishes expensive (for them) meals upon her. What does this tell us about their relationship and their future marriage?

3. What is the drummer's reaction to Jack's job? Do you get the sense that this is unusual for the drummer? He is a traveling man, but is not prepared for this. What does this say about the town of Yellow Sky?

4. What is the drummer talking about at the opening of Chapter 3? What story is he telling? Do you think he does this often? Do you think he's told this story before? Why? Why not?

5. Explain the role of the African-American porters in this story. How do they regard the couple? Why? Is this alluding to a reverse of racial attitudes of the times?

6. Jack sits with a hand on each knee like a man waiting for a barber to cut his hair. What does this tell us about Jack?

7. Describe the bride's dress. Do you think this is her wedding dress? Why? Why not? Is this a dress she wears every day?

8. Why does the author say the bride has cooked before? What gives the reader the clue to her background?

9. Why do all the men in the bar want to see Jack? What can he do that they can't? It appears nobody is really going to fight? Is there a real danger here?

10. Why does the man in the bar ask for a drink from the barkeeper and then swallow it down? Does this action seem out-of-place? Overly dramatic? Why? Why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,091 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample