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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. How often does Bob talk as the gang waits for the train on Independence Hill to arrive?

2. What month was Jesse James born in?

3. Where do most of the gang members sleep at Jesse's home after they rob the train on Independence Hill?

4. Where is Jesse James's home located when the novel opens?

5. What happens during the duel between Dick and Wood?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bob report he and Jesse talked about as the two men are getting to know each other?

2. How is John Whicher killed?

3. What does Annie do when she marries Frank?

4. How is Wood described when he is first introduced into the novel?

5. Why is Jesse's son known as Tim?

6. How does John Tabor respond to the affair between Dick and Sarah?

7. What reason does Charley give for why he hit a man over the head during the robbery of the train on Independence Hill?

8. What "gift" does Jesse give Chappy Foote as he is leaving the train after robbing it?

9. What is Jesse's attitude, when the novel opens, toward smoking and drinking?

10. What is Ed Miller nervous about when Jesse comes to visit him at his home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how Hansen portrays authority figures in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," making sure to use at least 3 specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Choose one female character in the novel and describe at least 3 things that Hansen is able to do with her character because she is a woman AND at least 3 things he is not able to do with her because she is a woman.

Essay Topic 3

In a well-written essay, discuss what function Jesse James's mother serves in the novel.

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