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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. What U.S. President does Jeanne recall dying in Chapter Forty-one?

2. Jeanne thinks to herself in Chapter Sixty, “Dead people did not have voices and this made them” what?

3. Where has Maria been for two years living with a cousin when she appears at the McCullough ranch in Chapter Thirty?

4. During what years of Eli’s life does Chapter Fifty-five span?

5. How old is Eli when he meets the judge’s wife in Chapter Thirty-four?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does Jeanne come to be knocked unconscious in Chapter Sixty-nine?

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

4. What leads up to Eli’s arrest in Chapter Thirty-seven? Who turns Eli in?

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

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

7. How does Prairie Flower die in Chapter Twenty-eight?

8. Why do you think the Colonel wants Maria out of his home in Chapter Thirty-three?

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

10. What are Jeanne’s perceptions of the “Honey Hunt” she attends in Chapter Fifty-three?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author’s depictions of gender bias in the novel. Consider the following female characters in the reading: Jeanne McCullough, Yellow Hair, and Hates Work. How do each of these characters face discrimination based upon their gender? How might their position change if they were male?

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

Analyze and discuss the reasons that Toshaway’s tribe feels justified in their raids in Texas and the southwest. Do you think that the Indians were justified, granted the behavior of the whites? Why or why not? How might these matters have been addressed differently?

(see the answer keys)

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