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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 the cook at the McCullough ranch in Chapter Twenty-four?

2. Who Ulises Garcia’s ancestor in the McCullough family?

3. How old was Ulises Garcia when his father died?

4. What unit does Eli sign up with during the U.S. Civil War?

5. What is Hank doing when he is killed in Chapter Forty-four?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where is Eli working in 1864? How is his home described in Chapter Forty-nine?

2. What does Eli gain from the raid in Chapter Fifty-two? What do the Indians gain?

3. What circumstances lead to Peter’s isolation on the ranch in Chapter Twenty-four?

4. How is the character of Ulises Garcia introduced in Chapter Fifty-seven? What is Ulises’s objective?

5. Describe Eli’s narrative tone in Chapter Forty. What are examples of humor used in the chapter?

6. What is the earliest conflict between the Garcias and the McCulloughs, as illustrated in Chapter Fifty-nine?

7. Discuss Jeanne’s relationship with motherhood, as seen in Chapter Thirty-eight. Does Jeanne enjoy being a mother?

8. Why do Eli’s troops raid the Federal soldiers in Chapter Fifty-two? What happens during the raid?

9. What is represented symbolically by the feud between the McCulloughs and the Garcias and its aftermath in the novel?

10. How is Jeanne’s relationship with her grandsons described in Chapter Sixty?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Peter McCullough’s account of the conflicts between the McCullough and Garcia families. How does Peter’s account of the events differ from his father’s? Who do you think is relating the truth of the matter? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the impact of Charles McCullough’s death on the McCullough family and particularly on Jeanne. Why do you think that Charles chose to leave almost all of his inheritance to Jeanne? How does Jeanne react when she learns this information?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the setting that is established in Chapter One of The Son. Where and when was Eli McCullough born? How does he describe the world that he grew up in? What are some examples of imagery from the chapter that help to develop a tone surrounding this setting? What influence does this setting have on Eli’s character?

(see the answer keys)

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