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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. Who is cited as the editor of Selected Civil War Letters of Edwine Willow?

2. Who wrote Reveille in Washington, 1860–1865?

3. Who among Mrs. Abigail Blass's children is described as being nervous after having submitted a poem in Chapter 27?

4. How old does the narrator say he was on his wedding day in Chapter 1?

5. What literary work is attributed to Ruth Painter Randall in the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Flanders Quinn and how is he described?

2. How does Roger Bevins III describe Mrs. Abigail Blass in Chapter 26?

3. Why does Willie refuse to pass on from the bardo for much of the novel?

4. How are Mr. Randall and Mr. Twood described?

5. What is notable about the dialogues of Eddie and Betsy Baron?

6. What story does Elise Traynor relate to Willie in Chapter 13?

7. How is Mr. Collier described in the novel?

8. How is the appearance of the Reverend Everly Thomas described in Chapter 9?

9. Who are the Three Bachelors and how are they described?

10. How is Mrs. Delaney's plight described in Chapter 31?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the narrative style of Lincoln in the Bardo. Who are the principle narrators? Is their narrator related in first, second, or third-person perspective? What is the impact of having so many different narrators in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

What occurs when characters from the bardo merge or occupy the bodies of the living? How does this experience change them? How does it impact the living being?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the historical context of Lincoln in the Bardo. What elements of the novel reflect the circumstances of the 1860s? How does the historical context inform the action of the characters?

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