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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what year is Play One, Masters of the Trade, set?
(a) 1856.
(b) 1775.
(c) 2009.
(d) 1920.

2. According to J.T. at the beginning of Play Six, who sometimes takes the shape of a channel catfish?
(a) A water nymph.
(b) A Cherokee Indian spirit.
(c) The devil.
(d) The ghost of Joe Talbert.

3. What does Jed do when Talbert asks for his help in getting off the battle field in Play Five?
(a) Tends Talbert like a slave would.
(b) Helps Talbert get back to Kentucky.
(c) Abandons Talbert.
(d) Picks up Talbert's pistol and aims it at Talbert.

4. What happens in Play Five, once Jed forces his way onto the crowded ferry with the injured Richard Talbert?
(a) Jed abandons Talbert once they get across the river.
(b) Jed flees the army and becomes a deserter.
(c) Jed shoots everyone on the ferry and takes over the boat.
(d) Jed pushes Talbert overboard and watches him drown.

5. When Jed Rowen tells his father that Randall Talbert is just a kid in Play Five, how does Ezekiel respond?
(a) Kids need to be punished.
(b) Little snakes grow into big snakes.
(c) Kids should be seen and not heard.
(d) A Talbert is a Talbert.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does J.T. claim he is saving Mary Anne's life or at least her soul?

2. Who does Michael Rowen bring back from Louisville with him in Play Three, The Homecoming?

3. Who gives an inspirational speech when Talbert's army first heads off to battle?

4. What deal does Michael Rowen make with the Cherokee warriors Dragging Canoe and Taskwan in Play One, Masters of the Trade?

5. How many years after Play Two does Play Three, The Homecoming, take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain how Scene Three of Play Eight reflects the civil rights movement occurring in America during the mid-1950s when the play is set.

2. What does Michael Rowen mean when he tells Morning Star he learns early that blood is the "coin of the realm"?

3. What does Patrick Rowen tell Rebecca in Play Three, The Homecoming, that his father does to his baby sister?

4. What does Michael Rowen claim his life is like prior to coming to Kentucky?

5. From where does Joshua get the Rowen gold watch in Play Nine, what does he do with it and what do his actions symbolize?

6. Mary Anne Rowen tells Joshua at the end of Play Seven that the union is now his family. In what ways is the coal miners' union like a family to the miners?

7. What deal does Tommy make with Andrew in Scene Eight of Play Seven and why does he make it?

8. Who is Mother Jones in Play Seven?

9. What kind of soldier is Richard Talbert once he gets to the battle field in Play Five, God's Great Supper?

10. Discuss Joshua's dream at the beginning of Play Nine and what it symbolizes.

(see the answer keys)

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