View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was Lisabeth's father?

2. After leaving Canada Dan, why does Stanley scold Jick when he starts to open the gate to a cabin?

3. As "English Creek" begins, how old is the narrator?

4. Who was Leona's boyfriend, prior to Alec?

5. On Thursday while Mac is away, where does Isodor plan to go?

Short Essay Questions

1. Briefly describe the main character of "English Creek," as portrayed early in the novel.

2. What announcement by Jick's brother, Alec, early in Part 1, shatters the McCaskill family?

3. Why is Flame Gulch the McCaskills' favorite spot in the Two Medicine National Forest?

4. What philosophical advice does Lisabeth offer to Jick in Part 2, after he repeatedly questions her about events in the past?

5. Describe the condition of the Hebner place in 1939. Why is Jick's father depressed every time he sees it?

6. When Earl and Alec come to blows outside the square dancing venue, how does the fight end?

7. Why is the Two country described as a toupee of grass on a cranium of rock?

8. As Jick finishes digging the new outhouse pit, why does Alec visit the McCaskill house?

9. What fate befell many of the ranch families who used to live along English Creek prior to the start of the novel?

10. Briefly describe Jick's first experience with drinking whiskey.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Descriptions of a past way of life are interwoven in the novel, from counting sheep to haying, from canning to square dancing. Discuss how these descriptions add depth and authenticity to the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Describe Flume Gorge, the McCaskill's favorite place in the Two Medicine National Forest. Why do they feel so strongly about that location? Why is it significant that, in the climax of the novel, the glorious Flume Gorge is on fire?

Essay Topic 3

Why does Jick consider July 4, 1939, to be "that immense day, that never-can-be-forgotten-Fourth," and "a set of hours worth the price of the rest of the life" at the conclusion of Part 2? Why does Doig devote a proportionately huge number of pages to this one day, even though the action of "English Creek" spans a whole summer and includes an epilogue in Part 4 that spans many years? Which events are most immense, in the eyes of Jick?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 785 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample