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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. On what date did Rebecca Harding Davis die?

2. What is the name of the jailer in “Life in the Iron Mills”?

3. What night of the week is it that Deborah brings Hugh his dinner at the mill in the beginning of “Life in the Iron Mills”?

4. What word from “Life in the Iron Mills” means slow, dull, or sluggish?

5. How is Deborah related to Hugh Wolfe in “Life in the Iron Mills”?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Deb doing when her character is first introduced in “Life in the Iron Mills”?

2. How does the setting of “Life in the Iron Mills” relate metaphorically to the story’s main characters?

3. What legacy did Rebecca Harding Davis leave behind, according to the author of “A Biographical Interpretation”?

4. Where did Rebecca Harding Davis grow up, according to the author of “A Biographical Interpretation”? How is her family described?

5. How did the outbreak of the Civil War impact Rebecca Harding Davis’s work, according to the author of “A Biographical Interpretation”?

6. How is Hugh caught by the authorities in “Life in the Iron Mills”? What is Hugh charged with and sentenced?

7. How would you describe the author’s use of dialogue in “Life in the Iron Mills”?

8. What is the moment of greatest hope in “Life in the Iron Mills”? How is this hope dashed?

9. How would you describe the ending of “Life in the Iron Mills”? Does the story end on a happy or sad note?

10. What realization does Hugh have after his interaction with the visitors at the mill in “Life in the Iron Mills”? What does he do next?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the three named characters that visit the mill in the story (Kirby, Mitchell, and Dr. May). What do these characters have in common? How do they differ? In what ways do these characters drive the plot forward?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the character of Hester Manning in “The Wife’s Story.” About how old do you imagine Hester to be? How does Hester describe her childhood and her relationship to her family? How does Hester feel about her husband and stepchildren?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the central conflicts in “The Wife’s Story.” Why is Hester conflicted about the move to Newport? Why does Hester choose not to share her thoughts and ambitions with her husband? Are the central conflicts in the story internal or external?

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