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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 Nora find has happened at The Sentinel office when she visits it in town?

2. What does Lurie's father call himself for a while after growing frustrated with people mispronouncing his name?

3. Who does Emmett take The Sentinel over from?

4. What does Donovan do to Lurie when he finds out they are wanted men?

5. Who owns cattle a town away from Nora and is very wealthy and influential?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is awkward about Nora's visit to Desma in Part II?

2. In Part I, what does Lurie wish he could remember his father talking about more than anything else?

3. Who is the voice Nora often hears and has silent conversations with?

4. What does Toby want to show his mother so badly in Part I that Nora is skeptical about?

5. What kind of disposition does Lurie say camels would not suit?

6. What does Donovan do to Lurie immediately after the wanted poster appears?

7. What is one of Nora's most pressing concerns on her homestead?

8. What is Hobb's "want" that Lurie is compelled to fulfill?

9. What power does Josie claim to have that Nora is skeptical about?

10. Why does Nora choose to sign her rebuttal letter to The Sentinel from Ellen Francis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing how Obreht explores the theme of sacrifice throughout the novel, focusing mainly on the Lark family and citing specific references to the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Lurie is deeply affected by several people's "wants" when they become spirits, especially those closest to him, like Hobb and Donovan. Write an essay exploring the symbolism of a spirit's "want." What does Lurie's "want" turn out to be at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

In the section titled Evening, what finally seems to make Nora realize that the voice she has heard and attributed to Evelyn's spirit for years is not truly that of Evelyn's spirit? What does Nora finally come to believe the voice is? Write an essay explaining your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 666 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample