View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Gig's and Rye's sister die?

2. Who is the lawyer who gets Rye out of jail?

3. Who does Gig fall into a romance with?

4. What does Jules's mother say might get him killed one day?

5. Why does Ursula urge Rye to take Brand's offer in Chapter 13?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Ursula take Rye to see, and why does she do this?

2. Why does Rye get arrested at the labor rally in Part I?

3. How do Rye, Gig, Jules and the mystery person get away from the police when they are cornered?

4. What does Ursula, Margaret Anne Burns, learn from the First Ursula, Edith?

5. What is the true nature of Gemma's relationship with Jules, and why has she hidden this?

6. Where does the IWW's nickname come from?

7. Why did Rye come West looking for Gig?

8. Why are Gig and Rye sleeping in a ballfield in Chapter 1?

9. Why do the police let Jules out of jail and where does he go?

10. What are the conditions in the jail that Rye and Gig are in like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Walter's exploration of the theme of power throughout the novel, including a discussion about which characters amass, maintain, grow, or lose it.

Essay Topic 2

How would you describe Rye's and Gig's relationship over the course of the novel, and how does it change from the beginning to the end? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How does Walter explore the brutality of the white settlers' treatment of Native Americans in this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 719 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample