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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. Which general is sent to Texas to protect the Texas border?

2. The Larkins are _________________ who move onto Comanche land.

3. Why does Sam Houston resign as governor of Texas?

4. Who kills Benito Garza during a raid on his ranch in Mexico?

5. How old is Otto in Chapter VII?

Short Essay Questions

1. What responsibilities does Earnshaw assume for the town and what is it eventually named?

2. When does the Ku Klux Klan appear in Larkin County and which groups of people are most affected by their presence?

3. How does Yancey come to own the ten thousand acres owned by the Garza women?

4. Why does the Republic of Texas come to an end and on what date does that occur?

5. What law enforcement group does Otto join and whom is he supposed to capture?

6. Why do so many people seem to move to Texas between 1928 and 1968? Who are two famous political men who came from Texas?

7. What role does slavery play in Texas prior to the Civil War?

8. How do Earnshaw and Emma go about building a town?

9. Why do new Texas residents like Persifier and Somerset Cobb decide to side with the South in the Civil War?

10. Who is Kimbro and what unlikely partnership does he enter into with Floyd Rusk?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Personal identity is an important theme in this book. Who were some of the people who had the strongest personalities? What were their personal codes? Which person in the book would you look up to? Who did you think was less exemplary in character? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Who was your favorite fictional character in the book? Why? Who was your favorite nonfiction person in the book? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Explain the reasons for the Texas Revolution in 1836. Why was it an overwhelming loss for Texas? Who were some of the major figures fighting for Texas in the Revolution? Is their legacy worth their struggles?

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