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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 is Scratchy known for?
2. What does the train need to do when it reaches the station?
3. What do other passengers on the train think of the couple?
4. How does the man sit on the train?
5. Who waits on the couple when they eat?
Short Essay Questions
1. Describe Texas as viewed from the train.
2. How is the bride described in the story?
3. Explain the significance of the Mexicans in the bar.
4. 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?
5. Describe the bride's dress. Do you think this is her wedding dress? Why? Why not? Is this a dress she wears every day?
6. What do the fittings on the train symbolize for the couple?
7. The author describes the grassy plots across the street from the bar as looking like grass on a stage. What does this tell the reader about the times and entertainment?
8. What is the reaction of the men in the bar to the news that Scratchy is on the loose? Do their actions seemed rehearsed? Why? Why not? What does this tell the reader about the town in general?
9. Explain the significance of the character of the drummer?
10. What did Jack once do to Scratchy? Why is this important to the story? Do these men really feel that they cannot handle the situation without Jack, or do they just not want to?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Compare the fittings on the train with the fittings on the armor under the bar. What are the similarities? Differences? Why do you think the author described the fittings under the bar so carefully?
Essay Topic 2
What does the scenery out the train window and the encounter with Scratchy at the end of the story have in common? What does each scene tell us about the future of the Old West?
Essay Topic 3
Describe the porters as characters. Do you think being a porter was a good job at this time? Do you think they traveled? How do they regard the couple? Why? Why do they feel superior to this couple?
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This section contains 1,068 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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