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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 far does father have to walk to the mine?

2. Where does Queenie want to go someday?

3. How long did it take Cussy to nurse her mule, Junia, back to health?

4. What magazine does Cussy leave for Mr. Moffit in Chapter 4?

5. What was the name of Pa's older brother who was tricked into being a miner's sacrifice?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Pa arrange for Cussy to marry, and why does he not take her to the officiant for the wedding?

2. What is the schoolhouse like that Cussy visits in Chapter 9?

3. When Cussy is hungry, what does she discover that Henry, a boy from the school gave her?

4. How does Willie Moffit react when Cussy brings medicine?

5. In Chapter 16, what does Cussy persuade Doc to give her after her first trip to Lexington.

6. Who is R.C. Cole, and what are his dreams?

7. What wakes Cussy in Chapter 13, and what does she find outside?

8. What does Cussy do and what does her pa want her to do in Chapter 1?

9. Why did an old mountain doctor give Cussy the nickname of Bluet?

10. Who accosts Cussy in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Cliffhangers are a literary device that leaves readers wondering what will happen next. How does the author use cliffhangers in the novel? How do cliffhangers create suspense?

Essay Topic 2

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in the novel? What is the importance of these flat characters to the storyline? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

Essay Topic 3

An allusion is a figure of speech that does not directly refer to a person, place, or thing. What are some allusions in the novel? Why might it be difficult to decipher an allusion just by the context of a passage in a book? Why might research be required to understand allusions?

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This section contains 1,016 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample