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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 Russ want of Sharlene?

2. What do Ike and Bobby wonder when they get home?

3. What does Victoria ask about as far as a doctor is concerned?

4. What does Ralph Black ask Ike and Bobby?

5. For what do they check the cattle?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where do Ike and Bobby ride their horse and why do they go there?

2. What does Victoria do in Denver and how does she feel about her life there?

3. What do the McPheron brothers do after dinner? How does Victoria's first night at their house go?

4. What strange thing is Ike's horse doing one morning and what does Guthrie say he will do?

5. What call does Dr. Martin have that has to do with the McPherons and Victoria?

6. What do the McPheron brothers find when they arrive home one day and what do they do about it?

7. Who does Guthrie see at the bar, what does she say and what does he do?

8. What does Victoria tell Maggie about the baby's father?

9. What does Mrs. Stearns do with Ike and Bobby while the cookies are baking? What does she tell them?

10. What do the McPheron brothers give Ike and Bobby and what do the boys ask their father about the brothers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Guthrie goes upstairs and into the room where his wife, Ella, lies in bed. He asks if she wants anything, but she does not answer. Guthrie leaves the room and Ella looks around before folding her arm across her face. Guthrie leaves the house and drives away in his pickup truck.

1. Do you think Ella Guthrie is depressed? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

2. How do you think younger children such as Ike and Bobby might feel about their mother? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

3. If Tom Guthrie was a friend of yours what would you advise him to do? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the following:

1. What do you think are the characteristics of a successful novel?

2. Analyze and discuss Plainsong based upon the criteria you decide upon in #1 and judge if Plainsong is a successful novel. Explain your rationale with specific examples.

3. Do you think the fact that Plainsong is primarily for entertainment changes the criteria upon which its success should be judged? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Oftentimes, a book is more of a character-driven plot rather than action driven, and oftentimes the other way. Some books seem to balance the two. Discuss the following:

1. What do you think it means to say that a plot is character driven? Action driven?

2. How do you think a plot differs if it is character driven versus action driven?

3. Which type of plot do you find more interesting? Why?

4. Do you think it is possible to have a plot where action and character development share equal time? Why or why not.

5. What type of plot do you think Plainsong is? Explain your response.

(see the answer keys)

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