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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. What does King order in Chapter 35?

2. Whose death does Rod acknowledge at the mining meeting?

3. Who is from the Shangaan tribe?

4. What instrument/equipment does Manfred speak into?

5. What does Rod notice on Joseph's lip?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the Inspector begin to put together the real story of Jose's death?

2. What happens when King learns that Jose is stealing from them?

3. How does Manfred get into an accident?

4. How does Jose make a profit from gold?

5. What does Manfred offer Rod in Chapter 8?

6. How does Johnny start drilling quicker than others?

7. Why does Frank die in Chapter 6?

8. Describe Hurry Hirschfield.

9. What is the plan concocted to destroy the mines?

10. Why is Melanie's mother angry at Rod?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Power in society is a prevailing theme of "Gold Mine". Smith frequently refers to this theme, painting the picture of two worlds that are struggling for power and survival. How does power relate to having gold or wealth? Which characters appear honest and which appear corrupt and why? Which characters appear to rise above corruption even if they were initially vulnerable to it? What is your opinion of the society that Smith describes? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of the title "Gold Mine"? How does this relate to the protagonist Rod and in particular to the main theme of the book? What did the author mean by calling the book "Gold Mine"? Cite an example to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Describe some of the settings for this novel. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. How do these settings even if imaginary, reflect modern settings or culture? Why did the author choose to use these places in "Gold Mine"?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 715 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample