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

2. What does Francis ask a woman in the street in Chapter 6?

3. What does Helen say she is a symbol of?

4. What desire does Francis say he feels when Rosskam tells him about the women he makes love to during his rounds?

5. What are the dead folks building in Annie’s back yard, when Francis visits?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What prompts Francis to get down from Rosskam’s wagon and quit for the day?

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

5. How does Francis describe having met Helen when he was younger?

6. Describe the vision Francis sees at Colonie Street.

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

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

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

10. Describe Rosskam and his environment.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Is Francis a hero or an anti-hero? Where does Francis fit in the continuum of other characters in literature? Compare and contrast Francis’ character with two other main characters in American literature.

Essay Topic 2

The ending of the novel is ambiguous, but there are clues throughout the novel about whether it might be read optimistically or pessimistically. What indications does Kennedy give the reader about what to make of the ending? What conclusion do you come to about the conclusion?

Essay Topic 3

Would you recommend Ironweed? For what purposes would you recommend Ironweed, and what kinds of readers would you recommend it for? What other book would you recommend that would cover the same material or tell the same story in a different way?

(see the answer keys)

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