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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. How fast does a Pony Express rider travel?

2. When the party reaches Esmeralda, how much do they conclude that the claims they have are worth?

3. In the story the narrator tells, how is Hank Monk taken to his destination?

4. How much do the seats aboard the mail coach heading towards Carson City cost for the narrator and his brother?

5. What is the result of the first fight between Slade and Jules?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What are the details of the court case between Hyde and Morgan, and what is the outcome?

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

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

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

6. How long is the Prefatory in Roughing It, and what is its purpose?

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

8. How does the narrator's party claim their mining areas along the mountains in Unionville, and what happens as they try to work in them?

9. As stated in the Prefatory, what is Twain's intention in writing Roughing It?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Higbie's character in detail, including his background and main attributes. Also, analyze the decisions made by both the narrator and Higbie to abandon their blind lead claim. What is the major difference in the two decisions and how does it define each character? Provide examples from the book to explain the possible reasons for why the author chooses to include Higbie in the book's dedication instead of some of the other characters he meets during his journey, such as Captain John Nye.

Essay Topic 2

The situations of Jack Williams and Captain Ned Blakely are used to depict the value placed on reputations in the West during the 1800s.

1) Explain Jack Williams' professions, how they contradict each other, and why the narrator includes his story to describe how retaliation was used in building reputations.

2) Describe the actions of Ned Blakely, the events leading up to the trial, how he influences the verdict, and the way his outlook on retaliation reinforces the point the narrator is making.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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