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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 number room is Andrews given when he checks into the hotel in Butcher's Crossing?

2. What does the hunting party do when the sun goes down on the first day of the trip?

3. What is the hotel clerk's reply when Andrews asks the clerk if he knows a man by a particular name?

4. How does Andrews respond to the question about whether he has had a "rough day" (75) on the first day of the trip?

5. How long ago does Miller say the hunt took place that resulted in the pile of buffalo bones?

Short Essay Questions

1. What query is made within the letter from Andrews's father to McDonald and how does McDonald respond?

2. What does the hunting party's thirst symbolize?

3. What signs does the hunting party see that point to the presence of buffalo before they actually see any?

4. What do Miller's comments about the dwindling number of buffalo show about his character?

5. How is foreshadowing employed within the scene focusing on Charley's lost hand?

6. What reservations does Schneider share about the prospect of the buffalo hunting expedition?

7. When Andrews is unable to explain to McDonald his esoteric reasons for coming west, what does he tell McDonald instead?

8. What distinction does Miller make between Boston prostitutes and Butcher's Crossing prostitutes?

9. What is shown about Andrews's character in the passage when he tries to summon the images of the Colorado territory he has seen in books and magazines?

10. How does the theme of racism arise within the character of Miller?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explicate the theme of violence within John Williams's novel Butcher's Crossing. What is the author's message regarding violence and how do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Sensory details are used frequently by the author in order to create vivid pictures of each character's progression through the narrative. Choose three scenes in which sensory details are heavily used and discuss how the sensory details used by the author set a particular mood for each of the three scenes.

Essay Topic 3

Write a critical essay about John Williams's novel Butcher's Crossing while using the critical power theory lens of feminist theory. Use textual evidence to back up your strong, specific claim regarding the novel's treatment of gender roles, the objectification of women, female empowerment, misogyny's role within society, or any other issues related to feminist theory that can be found in the book.

(see the answer keys)

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