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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 job has the narrator's brother been given for the state of Nevada?

2. What is the tone of the book?

3. Where does the narrator finally enjoy a great breakfast?

4. What is Unionville built around?

5. What is it about English that Twain is studying?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator discuss the Mormon religion?

2. How does the narrator live past the cold night, and what is ironic about the crew's actions afterward?

3. What role does the press play in the mining industry of Nevada and how does it affect the narrator?

4. How does the narrator begin his journey in Chapter I?

5. What is the writing style of Mark Twain that is established in the Prefatory?

6. How does the author build up the anticipation for the book in the Prefatory?

7. How does the narrator describe the coyotes he sees?

8. Why is Slade feared and what happens between him and the narrator?

9. What is the weather like in Unionville and what does the narrator find there?

10. What leads the narrator and his party to Esmeralda?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the contrast between Carson City and Lake Tahoe. What are the narrator's experiences in both places? Why does he choose to spend time in Lake Tahoe, and what are some of the ways it provides what the city cannot? How does Twain's description of Lake Tahoe illustrate his writing talent? Which events in both Lake Tahoe and Carson City display the main theme of the narrator's trip, and why?

Essay Topic 2

The Great American Desert and the repetitive story of Hank Monk and Horace Greeley both prove to be frustrating for the narrator.

1) Describe how the Great American Desert appears, why it is different than the narrator expects, and the difficulty his stage coach experiences there.

2) Explain what the story of Hank Monk and Horace Greeley is about, how it is presented to the travelers, and why it is the source of frustration for the narrator. Also, include what the intention of the story is meant to be and why it has the opposite effect for the narrator.

3) Describe the literary technique that Twain uses in order to convey the repetitiveness of the story and why he is effective in helping the reader to understand his objection to it.

Essay Topic 3

Humor and satire are used to depict the dire situation of the narrator and his crew as they are trapped in a snow storm.

1) Describe the actions of the narrator and his party as they prepare to face almost certain death after being lost in the snow.

2) What is the irony about the location of their camp and their actions once they are saved?

3) How does the author use humor in the situation and what is the satirical point he is making with it?

(see the answer keys)

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