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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. Where is the author traveling to?

2. What is the weather like when the narrator and his crew arrive in Unionville?

3. How long does the mining crew spend digging a shaft in their newly claimed mountainside?

4. What happens to the mules as they become tired from the heat of the desert?

5. How is the coyote described in the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Great American Desert like, and what is interesting about Carson Lake?

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

3. What is Roughing It about, according to the author?

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

5. How is the breakfast that the narrator is served in Nebraska described, and what future traveling accommodations does he compare his situation to?

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

7. Why does the story of Hank Monk and Horace Greeley irritate the narrator so much?

8. How do the narrator and his crew respond to the prospect of freezing to death?

9. What is the situation of Mr. Street and how does it provide an example of Utah's way of governing for the narrator?

10. What is the experience the narrator has in buying a horse in Carson City?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A two-day visit to Salt Lake City gives the narrator a chance to analyze the lifestyle of the Mormons.

1) Describe how the narrator views the Mormons, the way he approaches his analysis of them, and why.

2) Explain the different cultures that the Mormons have during the 1800s and the reasons for them.

3) Describe 3 examples that the author uses to depict the Mormons' philosophy and way of life, along with the conclusion he makes for each example.

Essay Topic 2

The author's tone in Roughing It changes throughout the book to reflect the narrator's journey. Analyze how Twain changes slightly between a humorous narrative and an informative reporting style of writing. Use the entire book to provide examples of which chapters feature each style, why the style was chosen for them, and how both styles contribute to the effectiveness of the story in general.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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