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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Williams say that American families cheat their daughters out of by trying to frighten them into delaying the loss of their virginity?

2. What does Poe call Longfellow?

3. What state does Houston become Governor of, and later serve as a U.S. Senator from?

4. What does William Carlos Williams say is the most important thing to remember about people who are descended from Africans who were brought to the Americas in slavery?

5. Who is the only person in America who can live a life of leisure, like a gentleman, according to an early American saying that Franklin mentions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the end of "Poor Richard," Williams states, "...almost nothing remains of the great American New World but a memory of the Indian." What do you think Williams means by this? Write an essay explaining the connection of the Indian to the American Grain. Support your answer with evidence from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Compare Williams' essay on Abraham Lincoln with his essay on George Washington. How are these two famous presidents similar? How are they different? Is there a difference in the way that Williams approaches writing about each of them? Draw on evidence from In the American Grain to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think Williams chooses to tell the stories of Eric the Red and Freydis? What makes these tales part of the American grain? Use evidence from the narratives to support your answer.

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