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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 Miller's reply when Schneider tells Miller to stop shooting because he has already killed 60 or 70 buffalo?

2. Who is the first to ask Andrews if he is alright the morning the men awake to a snow-covered world?

3. What object does Miller NOT use to get a fire started the morning the men awake to snow covering the land around them?

4. Who constructs a tent out of canvas and wood once the hunting party sets up camp in the valley?

5. What do the men prepare for their first meal in many days?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Charley feel about the coming of winter and why?

2. Discuss the irony present in the depiction of Schneider's death.

3. What does the loss of the buffalo hides in the river symbolize?

4. What event forces Miller to stop killing buffalo once he has reduced the herd by at least two-thirds?

5. How is Miller's monomaniacal nature demonstrated in his response to Schneider's comment that they do not have to hunt any more buffalo?

6. How do the men on the hunting expedition prepare their beds on the night before the buffalo hunt?

7. How does Schneider feel about the coming of winter and why?

8. What is demonstrated about Miller's character when he voices the desire to bring back a huge load of hides to show the hunters in Butcher's Crossing?

9. How does Andrews view Miller's actions as he takes the steps necessary to turn gunpowder into bullets?

10. How does Andrews's view of Miller change during the last hour of the buffalo hunt?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

What is the author's message regarding the history of America in John Williams's novel Butcher's Crossing and what themes does the author employ in order to send these messages to the reader?

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