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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 game does Dillon play with Jackie?

2. What do the men trapped in the coal mine use to bang on the rocks to alert their rescuers?

3. Who does Rachel refuse to marry?

4. Where does Dillon go to join the army?

5. Why does Jackie swear she will hate Tony forever?

Short Essay Questions

1. What possibilities does Arthur Lee consider doing when Rachel tells him that she loves Dillon?

2. What are Dillon's feelings for Rachel and why does she try to keep him at a distance?

3. What is Appalachia and what does Rachel surprisingly udiscover about it?

4. Who is Tony Angelelli?

5. Who is Fred and how does he disappoint Rachel?

6. What reasons do Dillon and Fiona have for not wanting Rachel to go away to nursing school?

7. How does Dillon's prison sentence negatively impact his relationship with Rachel?

8. Why does Rachel stay in her unhappy marriage with Tony?

9. How does Dillon mirror his father's life regarding standing up for the coal miners?

10. Who does Rachel marry after Fred abandons her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the conflict between the people who lived in the coal mining region of West Virginia and those involved in the government programs designed to provide aid.

Essay Topic 2

What is the significance of the book's title? What are some other possible titles for the book? List at least five and cite your reasons for each.

Essay Topic 3

Project into the future ten years after the end of the novel and write a brief synopsis for Jackie's life. Who will be present in her life? Where will she be living? What work will she be doing? What will her thoughts about the world be at this time? Explain.

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