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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 many feet of dirt is Hyde's ranch buried underneath?

2. What prevents the author from attaining his goal?

3. What gift does Capt. John Nye have?

4. What does Morgan claim during the court case?

5. Where was Slade born?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the economy of Salt Lake City like, and how long do the travelers stay there?

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

3. Who accompanies the narrator on his trip to Humboldt County, and how does the first two hundred miles of their expedition go?

4. What skills does Captain John Nye have, and how does he help the narrator and his party?

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

6. What causes the narrator to marvel at the sight of the Rocky Mountains?

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

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

9. How does the narrator help his brother in writing to the government for money?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Describe Mark Twain's objectives of writing Roughing It. Use the information in the Prefatory to explain his reasons for chronicling his adventures and the style he intends to use in the book. Then, provide examples that display how Twain accomplishes his objectives on multiple levels.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the historical significance of Roughing It by explaining the value and uniqueness of the first hand account being provided. In your analysis, answer the following questions: What are the most significant events that the narrator witnesses? How is the process of silver mining described? What are the "flush times" and how do they affect the narrator and other people living in the West? What other changes have a big impact on Western life? In what way does the media contribute to the actions of the narrator and other would be miners? How does the information in the book support Twain's intentions of writing it as stated in the Prefatory?

(see the answer keys)

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