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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. Why does Johnny’s advisor suggest he look for a small town in need of a doctor?

2. Why is this cattle drive in the first chaper of the book important to Phil?

3. Why does the Old Lady believe that she and the Old Gent should be present at George’s wedding?

4. What is Phil’s response when Rose calls him brother?

5. When does George arrive home in the snow storm in Chapter IV?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Phil feel let down by their twenty-fifth cattle drive?

2. How might one describe the brothers, Phil and George?

3. To what does the narrator compare the cattle drive?

4. How is George kind to Rose in Chapters IV and V?

5. What is significant about the cattle drive in the first section (Chapters I-III)?

6. What is known about the Burbank ranch in the first section (Chapters I-III)?

7. How are Phil and George different from those around them?

8. How does George save Rose's day?

9. What does Rose like about George?

10. How does Peter feel about his new life in Herndon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rose admits to George early on that she loved her first husband very much and is not sure if she can love another. How do Rose's feelings for George change throughout the course of this book? Does she fall in love with him? Why or why not? What similarities can be found between George and Johnny and the possible reasons why Rose would want to be married to both of them?

Essay Topic 2

Rose begins to self-medicate with whiskey. How does this reflect her husband's behavior? What can be learned about Johnny through Rose's drinking? What, in general, is the attitude regarding alcohol in The Power of the Dog? What details in the story support this?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter IV, the narrator describes the keen eyes of Phil. How does the narrator describe Phil's eyes? What can be learned about Phil from this? Do humans seems to fall into the same animal category, based on what is said by the narrator? Why or why not? What might this say about Phil's ability to understand people?

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