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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 are the names of Ebbett's sons?

2. How are the men on the islands described?

3. How does Simon try to help Rhonda financially?

4. What does Ebbett wait for in the prologue?

5. What first attracts Stan to Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Cal Cooley?

2. Why does Ruth go in to see Lanford alone in Chapter 3? How does he greet her?

3. How do Stan and Mary meet? What do they think of one another when they first meet?

4. Who are the members of Ebbett's family?

5. Describe the funeral in Chapter 1.

6. Describe Ruth's childhood as described in Chapter 1.

7. What does Simon tell Rhonda not to do in Chapter 1? Why does he give her this advice?

8. Why does Ruth flee to Rhonda's in Chapter 5? What is Rhonda doing when Ruth arrives?

9. How does Simon try to help Rhonda in Chapter 1?

10. How are Fort Niles and Courne Haven islands alike?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the motif of family in the novel "Stern Men". Describe Ruth's relationship with her father and mother. Describe the Pommeroy and Ellis families.

Essay Topic 2

A theme of the novel is rich versus poor. Who represent the "rich" and who represents the "poor"? How do these two entities clash throughout the novel? How is Ruth caught between the two?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the struggles faced by Ruth throughout the novel. How does she deal with these obstacles and how does she overcome them? What causes these problems for her?

(see the answer keys)

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