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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. How many members of the band does Eli say they lost during the raid in the beginning of Chapter Twenty-five?

2. What is the name of the gun salesman that Eli’s company encounters during their raid in Chapter Fifty-two?

3. In what year is Chapter Thirty-seven set?

4. Who is the sole secretary that Jeanne does not fire in Chapter Forty-seven?

5. What year is Chapter Forty-nine set in?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Judge Black’s wife perceive Eli when he returns from the Rangers in Chapter Forty?

4. How does Eli return from Indian captivity to civilization in Chapter Thirty-one?

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

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

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

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

9. How does the relationship between Eli and Ellen develop in Chapters Thirty-three through Thirty-seven?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of “history versus reality” in The Son. How reliable are the narrators of the story? Do you believe that each of the narrators is relating direct truth? Why or why not? How does “history” from the books differ from the realities of the past? How are these differences highlighted in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the nonlinear structure of The Son and the differing narrative styles established in the novel. How does the language style of each of the narrators differ? Does the narrative style reflect the time periods in which the story takes place? Why do you think the author chose to structure the novel in this way?

Essay Topic 3

Analyze and discuss the theme of “America’s creation myth” in The Son. How would you describe your personal idea of the creation myth of America? How is this myth displayed in the novel? Do you think that author Philipp Meyer brings up questions of the myth of America in the course of his story? How?

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