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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 is Francis’ reaction when Rudy tells him he is frivolous?

2. How familiar does Francis say trolleys are to him?

3. How does Francis characterize himself and Rudy?

4. What brotherhood does the narrator say Francis and Rudy have between them?

5. What image does the narrator say Helen presents to the audience at the Gilded Cage?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Helen says that she won’t go back to Finny’s car, she says that she might call her people. What is the irony in this?

2. How did Francis come to see Aldo Campione die?

3. How did Francis end up with a job shoveling dirt at the cemetery?

4. Describe the relationship between Francis and Rudy.

5. What price does Helen pay for sleeping in Finny’s car?

6. What effect is created by the author’s sophisticated vocabulary?

7. What is Reverend Chester’s policy about drunks, and what effect does it have?

8. What is the importance of Halloween in the book’s setting?

9. What does Francis’ conversation with Rudy tell us about his relationship with Helen?

10. What is the message of the song Helen sings to Francis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When is Ironweed most itself? What is its characteristic passage, or moment? What makes that moment or passage the most representative of the book as a whole? Are there any places where the book seems to depart from its typical self, as if to become a different book?

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of the author based on his style and content. What values does he hold dear? What are his hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think he is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 3

Ironweed takes place over three days: Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. What is the role of these Catholic holidays in Ironweed? What do these holidays explain in the novel?

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This section contains 1,040 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample