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. What is the German captive called among the Comanches of Eli’s tribe?

2. In what year did the Colonel die, according to Jeanne in Chapter Seventeen?

3. Who does Peter say was murdered in the night and his store looted in Chapter Nine?

4. How old is Jeanne McCullough as she lay on the floor of her home in Chapter Two?

5. Who is the only person other than Jeanne McCullough that is named on Jeanne’s father’s will for receiving a share of the minerals?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information is related regarding Jeanne’s mother in Chapter Five?

2. How does Sally respond to the situation after Charles has shot Dutch Hollis? Why does Peter disagree with Sally?

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

4. How is the theme of ethnic bias illustrated in Chapters Nine through Thirteen?

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

6. What concerns Jeanne the most as she faces her own death in Chapter Five?

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

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

9. How is sexual promiscuity among the Indians described in Chapters Nine through Thirteen?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the characters of Corkie and Jonas in the novel. Where does Jeanne meet Corkie? What are her impressions of this character? How are Jeanne and Jonas similar? How do these characters differ?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the character of Martin McCullough in the novel. How old is Martin when the McCullough homestead is raided? What kind of relationship do Martin and Eli have? How are Martin and Eli different in their responses to captivity by the Indians?

Essay Topic 3

Explore and discuss the themes of “alienation” and “morality” in the novel. In what ways do each of the three narrator/protagonists face alienation in the course of the story? What moral decisions are made by these characters, and upon what is their morality based?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 940 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample