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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 is the date of Peter’s opening diary entry in Chapter Sixty-two?

2. What food do the Comanches believe makes a person into a coward, according to Eli in Chapter Thirty-one?

3. When is Chapter Thirty-one set?

4. When is Peter’s first diary entry dated in Chapter Thirty-three?

5. Who does Peter describe as renting out his pig stall for eighty dollars a week in Chapter Forty-five?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Eli help the captive buffalo hunter in Chapter Twenty-five?

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

3. How does Peter respond to Maria’s presence and her need for help in Chapter Thirty?

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

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

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

7. How does the author illustrate Jeanne’s political connections in Chapter Thirty-five?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze Peter’s relationship with Sally in the novel. How did Peter and Sally meet? What was their courtship like? How would you describe their relationship after marriage? Why does Sally go to Dallas and how does Peter respond to her leaving?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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