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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Houston do after he resigns as Governor of Tennessee?

2. What quality does Williams admire in the woman who lives in the "ramshackle castle" by the railroad tracks?

3. What adjective does the narrator use to describe Boone's character?

4. How does Captain Landais' insubordination to John Paul Jones begin?

5. What does Williams admire about Poe's choice of words?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider In the American Grain as a whole. What do you think William Carlos Williams is trying to tell his readers about the American national character? Do you think Williams believes there is just one national character, or several? How was the national character shaped? What do most Americans believe about their own identities as Americans? Write a strong thesis and develop it by relating examples from the book and responding to them.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

What does Williams mean when he says that fear drove Benjamin Franklin's curiosity, that he built a nation based on the desire to huddle and protect? Write an essay explaining why you think Williams might feel this way. Support your answer with evidence from the book.

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This section contains 381 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample