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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 Janey offer to do when she tells Roscoe that bandits are about to ambush them?

2. What does Jake want to borrow from Call?

3. Who ropes the first horse for the O'Brien brothers?

4. Who did Clara marry?

5. Why did Call let the men stop working early the day Jake returns?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Elmira decide to do after the whiskey boat?

2. How does Jake respond when Gus comes into Jake and Lorena's camp?

3. What did Jake Spoon talk about at breakfast that interested Call and Gus?

4. What does Deets warn Lorena?

5. Why does Jake call himself a fool?

6. Captain Call was restless. What did he want to do?

7. How does Elmira feel about July? Why?

8. Why does Blue Duck show so little interest in Lorena?

9. What bothers Call about the first four boys he hires, who are all younger than eighteen?

10. How does Wilbarger sway Call to make a decision about his restlessness?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jake Spoon is both a lawman and an outlaw. He is a former Texas Ranger who dies as part of a murdering gang of horse thieves.

Part 1) How do Jake's characteristics influence his decline from lawman to outlaw? Choose events from the novel that illustrate these characteristics.

Part 2) How does Jake feel about his decline? What are his feelings towards Call and Gus? What are his feelings toward Dan Suggs?

Part 3) Could Jake have redeemed himself? Where in the story could he go back to the right side of the law? How might he have accomplished that? Use examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Justice is a recurring theme. How do different characters seek and find justice? In what circumstances do they decide not to seek justice? Explain the difference in those circumstances. How does seeking justice (or not seeking justice) affect the plot? Use examples from the novel.

Essay Topic 3

The novel includes both lawmen and outlaws throughout the story. The lawmen like Call, Gus, and July try their best to uphold and enforce the law. The outlaws like Blue Duck and Dan Suggs spend their time breaking the law.

Part 1) Pick one lawman and one outlaw and compare and contrast them. What characteristics do they have in common? In what ways are they different?

Part 2) How do the two characters you selected act as if they are above the law, or that laws do not apply to them? Cite examples from the novel.

Part 3) In what ways are the two characters not above the law? Pick events from the story that show how the characters apply the law to themselves.

(see the answer keys)

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