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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. The night of Jick's first day at camp, in how many places does Mack say the fire has jumped their fireline?

2. What position does Jick take in the firefighting effort?

3. Who goes into town to fetch the extra lunches?

4. What is Jick's first meal after he leaves the scorched mountains?

5. During Jick's first close-up view of the fire, how does he describe the orange flames?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Stanley convince Mac to give him a private audience, when Mac is trying to strategize with Paul and the fire foremen?

2. After Mac requests fifty firefighters and a cook, what positions are assigned to Stanley and Jick?

3. Who are the members of Pete's hay crew at the beginning of the 1939 season, and what are their assigned duties?

4. How, during haying season, does Jick find himself at the Double W Ranch with Alec?

5. When Jick and Lisabeth eat dinner alone, while Mac fights the forest fire, what news does Lisabeth share about Leona?

6. Describe the final moments of Mac's life.

7. Shortly after the death of Mac, what big question does Lisabeth ask of Jick?

8. Why is Jick fond of operating the scatter rake?

9. When Jick sees Alec at the Double W Ranch, what are Alec's professional and personal circumstances?

10. What was the early relationship between Stanley and Mac, as revealed near the end of Part 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the role of alcoholism and alcohol consumption in "English Creek." Minus the alcohol, could the story have unfolded in the same way? What seems to be Doig's attitude toward alcohol?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

When Mac is summoned to Missoula for fire danger classes, he rails against regulations and "desk jockeys." Why does Mac value experience and instinct over rules and training? Why, given his attitude, does he want Alec to go to college rather than face life head on and gain experience?

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