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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. According to the legend, where does the Headless Horseman appear each night?

2. How many years have passed between the actual story and the narrator's telling of it?

3. What is Ichabod's favorite thing to do?

4. What is impressive about the Van Tassel's home?

5. What is the name of the horse Ichabod is given to ride?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Sleepy Hollow considered untouched by time?

2. What is the significance of Ichabod's singing psalms to quell or calm his fears to the story's ending?

3. Why is it ironic that Ichabod's horse is named Gunpowder?

4. What is the purpose of the narrator?

5. What does the narrator mean when he says the region "breathed forth an atmosphere of dreams and fancies."

6. Why does the residents' ethnicity matter to the storyline?

7. What is the purpose of describing Tarry Town before actually talking about Sleepy Hollow where the story takes place?

8. How was the metaphor of a knight used within this story?

9. How is the school's location symbolic of Ichabod's relationship with those in Sleepy Hollow?

10. How does the telling of the ghost stories set up the mood for the story's climax?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the symbolism of Ichabod's eyes being green? Explain how the author uses Ichabod's eye color to reveal aspects of his character. Find descriptions from the text to support your answer and to provide evidence of your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

The author's descriptions of Ichabod Crane, even the usage of his surname, conjures the images of a bird. Why does the author want the reader to see Ichabod as birdlike? Is it because he is flighty? Or does his gossiping with the women in town one of "cawing" like a raven? Describe why and how the author continues to connect Ichabod to a bird and what purpose the author does this.

Essay Topic 3

Interpret the meaning of The Headless Horseman's race with Ichabod Crane after the Van Tassel's party. What does this event in the story mean? What purpose does the author hope to serve by presenting the Headless Horseman character in this manner?

(see the answer keys)

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