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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 Antonia offer Jim when she meets him?

2. Who teaches Yulka to read English?

3. Who accompanies Jim on his train trip to Nebraska in Chapter 1?

4. Which of the following is not a quality that Jim believes the country girls possess?

5. Which of the Harling children is Antonia's favorite?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mrs. Shimerda act when she and Antonia visit the Burdens after the thaw? How does Jim respond to her?

2. How does the Hardings' household change when Mr. Harling comes home from work?

3. Describe Jim's encounter with the rattlesnake as he and Antonia return from Russian Peter's

4. What confession does Pavel make to Mr. Shimerda on his death bed?

5. Describe the Shimerda family (as they are introduced in Chapter 3)

6. What change occurs in Black Hawk in the Spring? How does this affect the people living there?

7. How do the Shimerdas react when the Burdens bring them supplies during the cold winter?

8. Describe Jim's experiences when he is housebound due to illness

9. What does Mr. Shimerda do in the Burdens' home on Christmas that surprises them? Why are they surprised by his action?

10. Why do the Shimerdas have difficulty getting Mr. Shimerda buried? Where is he ultimately interred?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The influence of men on Antonia's development is a recurring topic in My Antonia. Select two of the following men and discuss the relationship between him and Antonia. Focus your discussion on the ways the the man does or does not influence her development in a positive way. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

1) Jim

2) Ambrosch

3) Mr. Shimerda

4) Larry Donovan

Essay Topic 2

One of the themes My Antonia explores is family. Discuss what the novel has to say about this theme. Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

My Antonia is primarily a first person narrative written from the point of view of Jim. Discuss how this fact influences the story. What biases does Jim bring to the story? How would the novel be different if another character was telling the story? Cite several specific examples from the novel to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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