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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 Captain Kidd buy from Thurber, in addition to the newspapers?

2. How old was Jefferson Kyle Kidd when he enlisted in the War of 1812?

3. How does Captain Kidd know that the Native men with Almay are Caddos?

4. What sign language sign does Johanna make when Captain Kidd pulls the stove out of the wagon?

5. What is it that Captain Kidd is drawn to about Mrs. Gannet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of impression does Johanna’s appearance makes on Captain Kidd?

2. Why is Johanna nervous when they encounter the army on the road in Chapter 5, and how does Captain Kidd take care of her?

3. What was it that made Captain Kidd want to be a news reader?

4. What arrangements does Captain Kidd for Johanna make when he arrives in Dallas?

5. Why does Captain Kidd show Johanna the weapons he carries, and what is her response?

6. What kind of wagon does Captain Kidd buy, to take Johanna back to Castroville in?

7. How does Johanna handle her first introduction to the hotel in Dallas?

8. How does Captain Kidd choose his news stories to manage the crowd?

9. How is Johanna saved from being left with Simon and Miss Dillon?

10. How does Mrs. Gannet fare, taking care of Johanna in the hotel room?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The cultural territory between Native American and white Americans has always been both tense, in a military sense, and fertile, in a cultural sense, as Native Americans have occupied a symbolic place in America’s sense of its identity as a country. How does Paulette Jiles locate her historical novel in that longer history? Is she prone to romanticizing Native Americans, or does she depict Native American culture in realistic and nuanced terms?

Essay Topic 2

Write a character sketch of the author based on her style and content. What can we tell about her, based on the choices she makes in terms of description, characterization and plot? What values does she hold dear? What are her hopes and fears? What kind of person do you think she is? Anchor your sketch in passages in the book.

Essay Topic 3

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered? How does the book regulate the tension between tense periods and climaxes?

(see the answer keys)

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