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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 turns Francis and Rosskam back in their rounds?

2. What does Katrina say will cure all Francis’ troubles?

3. What does Francis say he wants from his visit to Annie in Chapter 6?

4. What food does Katrina serve to Francis?

5. How much does Francis take in pay from Rosskam?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. How does the narrative change in Chapter 5?

6. What does Rosskam tell Francis about his sex life?

7. Describe the vision Francis sees at Colonie Street.

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

9. Describe Annie’s greeting when Francis arrives at her house.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 3

The American novel is typically centered on a character who believes in a fundamental innocence, and goes into the world to have experiences and find him or herself—but Ironweed is centered on Francis’ guilt over any number of things. How does Ironweed fit in the American canon?

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This section contains 948 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample