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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 the narrator say the clouds resemble, when Francis is standing in the junkyard doorway?

2. How did Helen’s father die?

3. Why was Billy in trouble with the politicians?

4. How long did Francis and Annie court before they married?

5. Where did Helen meet Arthur?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was Katrina Daugherty and what was her role in Francis’ life?

2. How did Helen’s father’s death change her life?

3. What memories does Rosskam’s sex talk evoke for Francis?

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

5. Explain the meaning of the attention Rosskam draws to Francis’ hands.

6. What deal do Francis and Rosskam strike regarding Francis’ pay for the day?

7. What does Francis buy from Rosskam, and what is its significance?

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

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

10. What peace does Francis establish with the ghosts who have been following him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is the audience for Ironweed? What is the ideal reader for Ironweed likely to think about the book’s main topics? How does this book try to affect the reader? What is it trying to teach him or her, or get him or her to do?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

What role does Francis’ baseball career play in Ironweed? Is the sport part of his bum lifestyle, or was it a period when he was something other than a bum? How does the novel reconcile Francis’ present life with the life he lived as a ball player?

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This section contains 962 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample