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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. Why do the townspeople want the same land Devlin want?

2. Does Sheriff Dean lie to the Missouri sheriff?

3. Where on Miss Sadie's property does Abilene try to go to find a pot?

4. What mood is Abilene in after talking with Hattie Mae?

5. What does Abilene gather for Miss Sadie while her friends Lettie and Ruthanne are out of town?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Ned's job in the military?

2. Where in the classroom do the girls find Stucky's writing?

3. On July 15, 1918, what does Abilene go to the cemetery to look for?

4. What does the man from the government who comes to Shady's bar do while he's there?

5. How does Abilene discover who her father is in Manifest?

6. In "The Shadow of Death," what does Abilene realize about her compass?

7. How is Miss Sadie's health when Abilene visits her on August 23, 1936?

8. What does Jinx do when he sees the two sheriffs who are in town?

9. How does Abilene feel about the growth of Miss Sadie's garden?

10. What does Ned hope the people in the town are doing, in his letter home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the unknown, fear, and mistrust in the novel.

1) How does fear of the unknown affect the townspeople's views of others from different cultures? How does it affect the townspeople's view of Miss Sadie in both time periods?

2) What causes mistrust in the town? Who does mistrust hurt and benefit?

3) How does Abilene view the unknown? How is her attitude different from others in the town?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the law and its role in the novel.

1) How does the law affect the people in the town of Manifest? Do the laws do the job they are supposed to for the society?

2) How does the sheriff in Manifest represent the law? Does he do the job he is supposed to do for the society?

3) How does the sheriff who comes looking for Jinx and his uncle represent the law? Does he do the job he is supposed to do for the society?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss what it means to be an American in the novel.

1) What qualifies someone as an American in the novel? Can immigrants truly be Americans?

2) What meaning does serving in the war have for the characters? Does it make the soldiers more American? Why or why not?

3) How does the Victory Quilt reflect patriotism and identity as an American? What does the rejection of the Hungarian woman's square mean for the town and its definition of who is an American?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 800 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample