View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When does the narrator's party leave for Mono Lake?

2. What is the Boomerang?

3. What is the primary content of the Whiteman Cement Mine?

4. How does the narrator describe his trip back to San Francisco?

5. According to the information in Chapter LXIII, how many people live in Honolulu?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator describe the trip from Hawaii to San Francisco and what is his situation once he arrives there?

2. What causes the narrator to travel to San Francisco?

3. What is the rivalry between Captain Ned Blakely and Bill Nookes?

4. What difficulties does the narrator have in finding stories to write?

5. What is the City of Refuge?

6. What is the process of mining silver and shipping it to California in 1865?

7. How long is the narrator's trip, and what does he conclude at the end of the story?

8. Why is the narrator's work never published in The Weekly Occidental?

9. What are the two different reasons that both the narrator and Higbie abandon their blind lead claim, and what is the result?

10. How does the narrator describe Hawaii and what initial setback does he encounter there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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

Describe the Hawaiian islands in detail as they are explored by the narrator towards the end of the book. Include the historical relevance of his six-month stay on the island, several examples of the scenery, and why he enjoyed the culture there. Also, analyze the author's style of writing in these chapters and how it complements the narrator's profession at this point of the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,012 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample