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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. From whose perspective is Chapter Eight related?

2. Where does Jeanne say the Colonel wanted Jonas to attend college in Chapter Eleven?

3. Where is Glenn recovering in the hospital in Chapter Nine?

4. Where did Jonas go to attend college after the Colonel’s death?

5. What does Eli describe as “the largest and wealthiest of all the Comanche bands” in Chapter Nineteen?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Peter’s account of the incident with the Garcias differ from his father’s in Chapter Six?

2. How does Jeanne perceive her father’s death?

3. What are Jeanne’s opinions of the Garcia family? How did Jeanne develop these opinions?

4. How are the circumstances of Eli’s Indian tribe described in 1851 in Chapter Twenty-two?

5. How is the theme of gender bias illustrated in Chapters Nine through Thirteen?

6. What gender biases does Jeanne face growing up, as seen in Chapters Fourteen through Seventeen?

7. What time period is Chapter Four set in? How old is Eli, and what position does he have within his family?

8. How does the McCullough family’s acquisition of the Garcias’ land impact the community in Chapter Eighteen? How does Peter feel about the acquisition?

9. How are the living conditions of the Indians described in Chapter Nineteen?

10. How do the Colonel and Charles differ in their viewpoints about their land and future?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of “imparting a personal legacy” in The Son. What advice does the Colonel give to Jeanne McCullough regarding her own personal legacy and the importance of putting one’s name on something? Do you think that this is sound advice? Why or why not? How is this theme illustrated through imagery and characters in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the settings of the McCullough ranch and the adjoining Garcia land that is purchased in the novel. How many acres do the McCulloughs and the Garcias own? What does the land look like? What do you think the McCullough and Garcia lands represent symbolically in the story?

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the characters of Jeanne McCullough and Eli McCullough in the novel. How are Jeanne and her great-grandfather alike? How do they differ? What kind of relationship did Jeanne have with the Colonel before he died?

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