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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 does Mrs. Skiddy find her husband one day after he doesn't return from work?

2. Why does Ruth write to Hyacinth when she decides she will become a writer?

3. What does Gatty comment about white people in Chapter XLII?

4. In Chapter LXII, what does Ruth worry will happen before she gets her first pay?

5. Why do Ruth's two former friends refuse to stay at the boarding house in Chapter XLI?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Mrs. Millet allow Ruth to do every week at her home?

2. What happens when two of Ruth's friends come to visit in Chapter XLI?

3. What surprise do Ruth and her daughters receive in Chapter XLIII?

4. How does Mr. Walter advise Ruth in Chapter LXXI?

5. What success does Ruth find in Chapter LXIV? Who is unhappy with her success?

6. What does Mr. Walter tell Mr. Lewis about Ruth in Chapter LXXIX?

7. What is the dinner at Mr. Ellet's home contrasted with in Chapter LXI?

8. What are the contents of the two fan letters Ruth reads in Chapter LXV?

9. Who does Ruth find has died at the hospital for the insane?

10. What does Ruth travel to City Hall to do in Chapter LI?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Ruth becomes a mother, everything changes for her. Describe Ruth's experiences as a mother. Is she a good mother? Why or why not? How does the death from Daisy and separation from Katy affect her? How does Ruth as a mother compare to Mrs. Hall as a mother?

Essay Topic 2

What happens at the end of the novel "Ruth Hall"? Is everything resolved? Are there any surprises at the end of the novel? What happens to the principle characters? Is the conclusion a happy one?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author of the novel "Ruth Hall", Fanny Fern. What others works did she write? What similarities or connections can be found between this novel and Fern's other work? Why did she write "Ruth Hall"?

(see the answer keys)

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