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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. What did Edith Conant lament?

2. How did Elizabeth Childers lose a child?

3. Who is sent by the liberal party to intimidate voters?

4. Whom did Godwin James hate?

5. Whom did Harlan Sewall repay?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does William Goode justify his aimless wandering?

2. Compare and contrast E. C. Culbertson and Hildrup Tubbs.

3. Why is Hog-eyed Allen at the courthouse on the day of the election? What happens to him?

4. How is the epitaph about the many soldiers different from the other epitaphs in the "Spoon River Anthology"?

5. The section beginning with Magrady Graham and ending with Mabel Osborne contains several stories by residents who are considered enlightened souls. Give at least two examples of these residents.

6. Why does Jefferson Howard challenge the liberal party in the planning meeting?

7. How was Lucinda Matlock able to deal with the deaths of eight of her twelve children?

8. How is Father Malloy's epitaph different from the others in the "Spoon River Anthology"?

9. What do many residents seek in the section beginning with William H. Herndon and ending with Alfonzo Churchill?

10. Who killed Tom Merritt? What happened to Mrs. Merritt and her lover after Tom's murder?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the tone of "Spoon River Anthology"? How do you know?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the theme of spiritual enlightenment in "Spoon River Anthology".

Essay Topic 3

Explain how Masters reveals relationships between residents in "Spoon River Anthology". Why are these relationships important to the reader?

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