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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 revenge did Helen get on her mother?

2. How did Skippy Maguire ruin his hand?

3. The narrator says that even as Francis felt rich, he felt what other feeling?

4. How did Helen’s mother use the money that should have been for Helen?

5. Whose letter is the only letter Francis has saved?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was Francis’ mother’s relationship with Katrina Daugherty like?

2. Describe Rosskam and his environment.

3. How does the narrative change in Chapter 5?

4. How does Helen feel about her life, when she is summing it up as she dies?

5. How did Helen’s mother and brother cheat her?

6. Why is Helen angry with Francis, when she thinks about him in the hotel?

7. How does Francis characterize the difference between Annie’s kiss and Katrina’s?

8. How is Helen’s death different from other deaths in Ironweed?

9. Describe the vision Francis sees at Colonie Street.

10. What kind of peace does Francis make with Annie?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Evaluate your own reading of Ironweed—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 2

Write an evaluative review of Ironweed. What is this book’s place in culture? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

Essay Topic 3

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.

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