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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 does the narrator say both Jack and Ennis were "inured" (254) to when describing their backgrounds at the start of "Brokeback Mountain"?

2. Who is the author of "Brokeback Mountain"?

3. With what organization do both Jack and Ennis sign up to get work the year they met?

4. In what state were Ennis and Jack born?

5. Why does Joe shut down the camp early the year Ennis and Jack work on Brokeback Mountain?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are Jack and Ennis unaware Joe Aguirre had done while they were making love on Brokeback Mountain?

2. Why does Ennis decide to stay at the main camp on the first night that he does not return to the sheep?

3. What does Ennis tell Jack about his first morning after setting up camp near the sheep?

4. How does Ennis feel when riding back to his camp after an evening of whiskey and stories with Jack?

5. Who does Ennis think he may have to stay with after moving off the ranch at the start of "Brokeback Mountain"?

6. What does Ennis do to save himself a trip when he offers to sleep with the sheep at Brokeback Mountain?

7. How does Ennis react when Jack tries to move Ennis's hand to his penis while they are in the tent together?

8. What positions are Jack and Ennis hired for at Brokeback Mountain?

9. What does Jack notice when Ennis takes his clothes off to wash himself at the main camp at Brokeback Mountain?

10. Why does Joe Aguirre cut Jack and Ennis's time at Brokeback Mountain short?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Proulx's decision to tell the story using third person omniscient point-of-view. How does this impact the reader's understanding of the story's events? Is this effective? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay discussing the setting and time period of "Brokeback Mountain." In what ways does the time period and setting impact your understanding of the story as well as the themes? How would the story be different if told in the present day?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining the ending of “Brokeback Mountain.” How did the ending fit into the storyline? What emotions did the ending evoke for you? Do you think the ending was effective? What theme might the ending represent? What might the author have done differently?

(see the answer keys)

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