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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. Which of the following was another name for salted pork in Florida?

2. What did Rawlings comment on when she held a snake for the first time?

3. Which of the following people believed in voodoo?

4. What unusual meat was Governor Grant said to be a fan of?

5. How did Rawlings feel about her life in Cross Creek after returning from her river adventure with Dessie?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Rawlings learn about her fear of snakes while she was out hunting with Ross?

2. How did Rawlings and Dessie navigate the maze of tributaries that were not listed on Rawlings's river map?

3. What trouble did Rawlings get into with her neighbors around Christmas in regard to her staff?

4. What types of bread were regularly served in Cross Creek, and which was Rawlings's favorite?

5. What vegetables were regularly eaten in Cross Creek?

6. How did Rawlings feel about the yachtsman she met in Sanford?

7. What type of relationship did Rawlings have with the frogs that overtook Cross Creek in springtime?

8. How were Dessie and Rawlings greeted by the locals, both black and white, in the coastal towns they visited?

9. How did Rawlings feel when Kate's brother was in town?

10. How did the work around Rawlings's farm change in the heat of the summer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout her time in Cross Creek, Rawlings performed many remodeling tasks to her residence, transforming it into a real home. Choose one of the major remodeling jobs Rawlings completed on her home and describe it. Who helped Rawlings with this task? Why did she want to complete it? Then, describe how Rawlings's desire to remodel her home mirrored her desire to remodel herself. How did Rawlings change emotionally as her residence became a home?

Essay Topic 2

At the opening of the memoir, Rawlings is quick to point out all her personal flaws to the reader, particularly in regard to her skills at Cross Creek. First, explain how Rawlings came to live on Cross Creek. Was she prepared for this move to the farmland? How did Rawlings's personal history lead her to list all her personal flaws. In the end, do you think these personal flaws helped or hindered Rawlings during the time she lived on Cross Creek?

Essay Topic 3

Although Rawlings often claims to love her servants and to treat them with respect, she often speaks about them, and even to them, in a profoundly racist way. First, describe Rawlings's stance on racism in Cross Creek. What does she blame racism on? Then, describe at least two examples of times when Rawlings regarded her servants in a racist way. What was the reaction from the staff to this treatment? As a reader, what was your reaction to Rawlings's racist statements? Would you consider Rawlings to be a hypocrite?

(see the answer keys)

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