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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 is James Killoran?

2. Why does Claire say she cannot have a relationship with Henry?

3. Why does Lorraine call Will, at the beginning of Chapter 14?

4. How does Henry arrive into Illinois?

5. Who is the father of Myra's baby?

Short Essay Questions

1. What augury does Henry find on his trip?

2. What happens in Henry's visit to Glenwood Springs to see Claire?

3. Why does Henry return to New York?

4. What are Henry's fears about going home?

5. Describe the scene in which Henry met Claire.

6. Describe Solstice's death.

7. What had Will done in the war?

8. What is Henry's experience finding work in New York?

9. What does Henry lose on his way home?

10. What are Henry's thoughts when he arrives in St. Louis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How consistent is 'Fool's Progress'? Do the characterizations established in the first few chapters hold true for the rest of the book? How are any exceptions dealt with? Does the book end close to where it started?

Essay Topic 2

Henry Lightcap's family is half-Shawnee. How much do Native American values matter in 'Fool's Progress'? How is this side of Henry's history represented? Make the argument that 'Fool's Progress' is a novel about the Native American experience. Or make the argument that it is not.

Essay Topic 3

Assess the claim that in Henry Lightcap, Edward Abbey is dramatizing Thoreau's instruction to 'simplify, simplify, simplify'? In what ways is Henry Lightcap simplifying his life? In what ways is he always complicating it? What is the value of the simplicity he espouses?

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