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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 Play Five, how does Randall's father, Richard, punish the boy for running away?
(a) He withholds Randall's monthly allowance.
(b) He whips Randall's hand and sends him home.
(c) He makes Randall work the fields with the sharecroppers.
(d) He makes Randall tend the family mules.

2. When Patrick Rowen and his father Michael argue in Play Three, The Homecoming, what does Star deliberately do to Michael in his bath?
(a) Puts soap in his eyes.
(b) Tries to drown him.
(c) Scalds him with hot water.
(d) Freezes him with cold water.

3. When Talbert and his men retreat to the river during their first battle in Play Five, what happens to Talbert?
(a) He is captured by a Union lieutenant.
(b) He falls and breaks his ankle.
(c) He develops dysentery.
(d) He is wounded by a Union bullet.

4. Which of the following statements does not describe an aspect of Jed Rowen's dream at the beginning of Play Five?
(a) His father Ezekiel preaches from Revelations.
(b) Jed's grandfather, Patrick, dies.
(c) Two women read a list of men's names including his.
(d) Jed eats at a church picnic in an orchard.

5. If Patrick Rowen scratches his head before sending Zeke and Zach to the house during the court's visit, what are Zeke and Zach to do?
(a) Bring another jug of whiskey for the court officials.
(b) Bring food for the court officials.
(c) Fetch their rifles.
(d) Flee the cabin on horseback.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Play Four, what does Patrick Rowen ask Jessie to do with the circuit court's mules, if any shooting occurs during the court's visit?

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

3. What happens to the Indian woman in Scene One of The Courtship of Morning Star?

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

5. What does Michael Rowen tell Earl Tod he does in Georgia before coming to Kentucky?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Play Eight, in what ways does Scotty's experience in the Korean War seem to influence his opinions about the mining company and the union?

2. What is Scotty's tragic flaw?

3. What character flaw do Patrick Rowen and his father Michael share and what dark act does it lead each of them to commit?

4. What evidence in Play Eight indicates that Margaret Rowen is an alcoholic?

5. Who is the old man Jeremiah summons from the woods at the end of Play Four, Ties That Bind, and what does he want?

6. How does Jed's dream change at the end of Play Five, God's Great Supper, from what it is at the beginning of the play?

7. 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?

8. Explain the significance of the title of Play Six, Tall Tales.

9. What does Cassius Biggs experience in France during World War One and how does it compare with what he experiences in the United States upon his return?

10. What solution does Abe suggest in Scene Three of Play Seven for reducing Joshua's fever and what does he suggest Mary Anne do to prevent further such fevers?

(see the answer keys)

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