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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 fruits was sneaked into Rawlings at the hospital when she was ill with low fiber?

2. What was the name of Rawlings's cow?

3. What did Rawlings hang in the orange groves to repel hawks?

4. According to Rawlings's research, how long would it take termites to eat a house to the ground?

5. Which of the following baked goods was considered from "the high caste"?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Rawlings know that the season was changing from spring to summer based on the activity outside her window?

2. How did Rawlings kill the cottonmouth snake she found in her house?

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

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

5. Why did Rawlings keep cows on her farm?

6. Who was Racket?

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

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

9. Who was Mr. Butler, and where did he die?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Breeding" was an element of personal relationships that was of deep importance to Rawlings. First, describe one person that Rawlings believed was of "good breeding." Then, compare that person to one that Rawlings believed was of "bad breeding." What did Rawlings base these assumptions of breeding on? Was Rawlings always right in her assessment of what made a person good or bad?

Essay Topic 2

In one chapter of the memoir, Rawlings and Martha spend time discussing their definition of the word "varmint." First, define the word "varmint" as it pertains to animals and to people. As a reader, what was your reaction to this definition? Did you think it was fair? Then, choose at least one example of an animal considered to be a varmint and one person considered to be a varmint. Do you think these subjects would still be considered "varmint" in today's society?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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