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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. Who becomes Fontenot and Ward's new judge?

2. What type of pet does Miz Ward own?

3. What was Ada once a haven for in its wild west days?

4. According to Tommy Ward, who is the only girl he has ever loved?

5. In Chapter 1, what is Steve Haraway doing when he receives notice that his wife is missing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Odell Titsworth dismissed as a suspect in Chapter 4?

2. Describe the journey made on April 28, 1909, that was proves to be vitally important to those involved in the Haraway case.

3. What two things are District Attorney Bill Peterson trying to establish through the four young witnesses who are a part of Ada's "running crowd"?

4. Who are the first three characters introduced to the reader in Chapter 1?

5. How is the Haraway case different from both the Rawlings' and the Brown's cases?

6. In Chapter 3, what alibi does Tommy Ward give detectives for the day Denice Haraway? Is this the same story he had given to detectives the first time he was questioned? Explain.

7. Why are there no spectators at the March hearing of the State of Oklahoma versus Ward / Fontenot?

8. Describe Lenny Timmons' testimony about the night Denice Haraway went missing.

9. Discuss the spectators who watch the trials going on in the courthouse, as described by the narrator in Chapter 7.

10. According to the narrator, what was the turning point in the Ward family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of obsession as related in Chapter 4 of The Dreams of Ada. Who was obsessed? What where they obsessed with? How did this obsession affect the Haraway murder case?

Essay Topic 2

"Innocent until proven guilty" is a simple to understand expression. Once proven guilty, innocence is no longer a factor. However, proving that an individual is guilty is not always an easy task. Discuss the actions taken to prosecute Tommy Ward. Based on the evidence, eyewitness accounts, and alibi's, do you believe that Ward was innocent or guilty?

Essay Topic 3

Explain how the disappearance in Chapter 1 reflects the central conflict in the novel and the difficulties that lie ahead.

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