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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 the name of Uther Botkin's wife?

2. Where does Alexander arrive in Part III, Chapter 29, just before a big fight?

3. Where is Alexander Kirkpatrick's wife sent to work after she is released from jail?

4. Why does Alexander demand that he be treated as a prisoner of war while in prison?

5. After dumping piles of used bandages into a pit, how many patients does Alexander Kirkpatrick's wife tell the surgeon he has waiting for the day?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Abigail's Cousin Molly bring Sallie when she comes to visit her in jail?

2. While Sallie is working at the hospital, what does a young soldier ask Sallie to do for him?

3. What does Silas do to Ellam when he learns of his treatment of Maggie?

4. What was Miss Marguerite's name in 1857?

5. What does Sallie pray for while working at the hospital in Part III, Chapter 30?

6. What does Catesby write to his wife Leona about from Camp Bartow, Virginia?

7. What does Ellam Omohundru do with Maggie in Part I, Chapter 10?

8. What does the prison keeper tell Sallie about Alexander during one of her visits with Cousin Molly?

9. How much money is Silas going to sell Maggie for as incentive for Ellam to treat her with some respect until time for the sale?

10. Why did Sallie marry Alexander Kirkpatrick in a hasty marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Marguerite tells many stories of several different characters throughout the story. This is a literary device that writers use called a story-within-a-story. Explore the author's use of the literary device story-within-a-story in the novel "Jacob's Ladder". Is the author using stories-within-a-story to give it a more historical feel? Or is the author using stories-within-a-story to give background about particular characters or events? How is this literary device effective in the novel "Jacob's Ladder"?

Essay Topic 2

Many of the characters in "Jacob's Ladder" have an air of desperation about them and perform desperate acts. Examine the concept of desperation and discuss how it pertains to the characters in the novel. How could someone become desperate during times of war? What characters in the novel seem desperate at this point in the story? Who does not seem desperate? How can this desperation be brought on by some characters having to do uncharacteristic things?

Essay Topic 3

In "Jacob's Ladder", at some point each character deals with having to decide what is honorable. Explore the theme of honor in the novel and discuss how it relates to the different characters. How important is it for the characters not to lose their honor during war? Why is being honorable important? Is Alexander as honorable as Duncan is? Where in the text does Catesby show that he is honorable?

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