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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. After the narrator loses his job as a reporter, how long does he avoid everyone he knows?

2. How long is the trip that the narrator sets out to take in the beginning of the book supposed to last?

3. While the narrator is in Virginia, how is a person's reputation determined?

4. How does the narrator feel before giving the first lectures?

5. What does the narrator do after his lectures become a success?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What lifestyle does the narrator have in the first few months of his stay in San Francisco, and how does it change dramatically?

4. What is on the islands in the center of Mono Lake?

5. Who is Higbie, and why is he valuable for the narrator's search of Mr. Whiteman?

6. How long does the narrator stay in Hawaii, and in what way does the author's literary tone change in these chapters?

7. How does the narrator describe Mono Lake?

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

9. Why is finding a good horse a difficult task in Hawaii?

10. What is pocket mining and the result of the narrator's attempt at it?

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

Compare and contrast the author's descriptions of the Goshoot Indians and the Chinese people that live in the West during the late 1800s.

1) Describe the Goshoot Indians and provide specific examples of why the narrator objects to their way of life.

2) Describe the Chinese people and how the author depicts their way of life in California.

3) Analyze the difference between the narrator's views of the Goshoots and the Chinese people, including how his descriptions of them add validity to his views.

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?

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