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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 does Ichabod do to quell his fears when walking home at night?

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

3. Whom does the homeowners of Sleepy Hollow hear singing psalms at night?

4. How does the author describe Brom Van Brunt?

5. In what war does the Headless Horseman fight?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does it say about the residents of Sleepy Hollow that since Ichabod did not have "money nor family," that he was quickly forgotten?

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

3. Why did the church provide a perfect setting for the Headless Horseman stories?

4. Why is Ichabod's appetite for the occult a necessary part of the plot?

5. Why is the place called Tarry Town?

6. What was strange about how Ichabod distributed discipline in his school?

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

8. What do the antics Brom Bones uses to derail Ichabod's efforts to win Katrina illustrate about his character?

9. What does Ichabod's clothing blowing loosely around him symbolize?

10. What words does the speaker use to convey that there is in fact something magical and mystical about the area? How does this word choice create the mood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ichabod and Brom are both competing for Katrina Van Tassels's affection. Compare and contrast how each one tries to win her hand at marriage.

Part 1) Compare how Brom and Ichabod react at the Van Tassel's party to Katrina's flirting.

Part 2) Contrast how Brom and Ichabod behave at the men's meeting after the party.

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of a birch tree growing near the school house cabin and why is it ironic? The narrator refers to Ichabod's use of discipline and his type of discipline often allowed the weak to escape but the strong were severely punished.

Essay Topic 3

Explain how the introduction of the story, the papers being found in those left by a dead man, gives credibility to the story. Does having an actual source support the author's suggested tone that what is revealed is fact. Why or why not? Does it help the author's purpose because the man is dead and no longer around to dispute the claims laid out in the rest of the story?

(see the answer keys)

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