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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 attributed as the author of The Rudderless Ship: When Presidents Flounder?

2. When does the Reverend Thomas say he died in Chapter 61?

3. Who was Roger Bevins III's family maid that he spoke unkindly to and was made to write her a letter?

4. Who is cited as the author of "These Battle Memories" in Chapter 47?

5. Whose account is described in Voices of a Divided Land?

Short Essay Questions

1. To what does Lance Durning attest in Chapter 65?

2. What regrets are presented in Chapter 48?

3. How have the spirits of the bardo changed in apperance after occupying Lincoln in Chapter 77?

4. How does Mrs. Francis Hodge describe Litzie's life?

5. How do Mr. Bevins and Mr. Vollman go about occupying Mr. Lincoln in Chapter 44?

6. What do Vollman and Bevins realize about the passage of time in Chapter 55?

7. What are the prides of Professor Edmund Bloomer and Lawrence T. Decroix?

8. What does the lock and key in Lincoln's pocket represent?

9. What is the focus on the excerpts in Chapter 47?

10. What is the outcome of the young lovers that is described in Chapter 77?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

Describe and discuss the character of Elson Farwell in the novel. Where was Farwell a slave? What are his thoughts on his experiences as a slave? Why does Elson remain in the bardo?

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