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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 the narrator say the Kiowa prided themselves on?

2. What is the meaning of the song Johanna sings as she and Captain Kidd make their way to Spanish Fort?

3. Where did the Curative Waters wagon Captain Kidd buys originally come from?

4. What does Johanna yell to the Kiowa Indians across the river in Chapter 7?

5. What kind of tone does Captain Kidd take with Thurber, the printer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Captain Kidd’s uniform for his news reading performances?

2. What is the town of Spanish Fort like?

3. What does Britt Johnson give Captain Kidd when he is about to leave from Wichita Falls?

4. How does Johanna fare once Captain Kidd starts teaching her English?

5. What is it that gets a reaction out of Johanna in Chapter 4?

6. Why does the narrator say that there is no Kiowa word for thank you?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an evaluative review of News of the World. What is this book’s place in our culture? Who will find this book most useful? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

Essay Topic 2

Research the history of returned captives in the American frontier, from Massachusetts and Maine to the west. What are the biggest difficulties returned captives encounter, and how does Jiles represent that experience in News of the World? Does she paint a fair portrait of this difficult transition?

Essay Topic 3

Evaluate the ending of News of the World. Does it ring true to you? Does it successfully resolve the problems and tensions that preceded it? What would you change, if anything? What are you left wishing for closure on, if anything?

(see the answer keys)

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