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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. Who is Mary Ellen?
2. During conversation on Thursday while Mac is away, how does Lisabeth describe Leona?
3. Who is Pat Hoy?
4. From what country did the McCaskill family emigrate in the 1880s?
5. Before the rodeo, how does Leona address Jick?
Short Essay Questions
1. Why, in Part 1, does Jick describe his father as being "between and between and between?"
2. What philosophical advice does Lisabeth offer to Jick in Part 2, after he repeatedly questions her about events in the past?
3. After reading a story in the local paper, why is Jick so interested in the details of a wagon trip his mother took with her family twenty-five years prior?
4. Before the rodeo, why does Alec ask Jick to keep an eye on Leona?
5. What fate befell many of the ranch families who used to live along English Creek prior to the start of the novel?
6. How, as Jick recollects, did he and Ray become friends?
7. How, at the end of Part 2, does Jick sum up his Fourth of July experiences?
8. What is the topic of Lisabeth's speech at the Fourth of July Picnic?
9. What announcement by Jick's brother, Alec, early in Part 1, shatters the McCaskill family?
10. After the rodeo, why is Jick unable to finish his conversation with Stanley?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
How does Doig use foreshadowing and references to the past to forward his plots and reveal character traits? Consider at least three examples.
Essay Topic 2
Why does Doig write Part 4 as an epilogue of sorts, wrapping up events and revealing the ultimate destinies of the people Jick cares about? What is the dramatic impact of this technique? Do the characters' destinies serve to reinforce the main theme or themes of the novel? Does the epilogue style fall flat, as compared to the rich, detailed narration and dialogue featured in Parts 1-3, or does the epilogue style create a satisfying end to the novel?
Essay Topic 3
The fishing exploits of the McCaskill males are mentioned frequently in the novel. Discuss the poignancy and symbolism of Mac's death, when he is found with nine fish on his stringer and one on his hook.
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This section contains 783 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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