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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. Why does Granny pray after the soldiers leave?

2. How long do Ringo and Bayard wait on the road?

3. Where does Granny hide Ringo and Bayard?

4. Bayard observes that although the war is tragic, he has never experiences such ______.

5. When the Union soldiers arrive at Sartoris' house looking for him, he escapes by pretending to be a deaf _______.

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the Sartoris family fleeing their town?

2. Does Bayard glorify his father? How and why does he regard him the way he does?

3. Are slaves able to be free in "Retreat"? Is it true freedom?

4. Is Ringo more than a slave boy? How is he an equal or still inferior?

5. How easy is it to gauge humor in "Retreat"? Why?

6. Why does Granny become relieved at one point when the Union soldiers are searching her house?

7. Why does Loosh feel justified in taking the silver?

8. Does Bayard understand the Civil War? How does he see it?

9. Why do Bayard and Ringo shoot at the Union soldiers?

10. How does Uncle Buck manage his slaves? Is this unusual?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Colonel Sartoris is the epitome of traditional mid-nineteenth century South in certain aspects. Discuss how and what Sartoris portrays about this time and the significance of his actions in the larger context of the time and other characters.

Essay Topic 2

Drusilla, after losing her husband and fiancé to the war, begins to show her true nature: without the traditional constraints of Southern society, she is masculine and adventurous. Drusilla portrays progressiveness, while Aunt Louisa portrays stringent Southern tradition. Discuss how Faulkner addresses humanity and the shift in the post-Civil War South through his use of his female characters.

Essay Topic 3

Race is a significant and theme of "The Unvanquished": slaves are not all treated equally by characters and each character has a different agenda. Discuss the nature of race in the book and how the various dimensions are developed and the role they play.

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