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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. Who is voted in as governor of the colony?

2. What action by the king infuriates Emmannuel Downing, John Winthrop and others?

3. Why is Anne Hutchinson excommunicated from the church?

4. Why is John Winthrop's wife, Margaret, ailing at Groton?

5. What was Elizabeth's mother's maiden name?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain the circumstances of Elizabeth's (Bess) punishment by her uncle John?

2. Why is Harry not John Winthrop's favorite child?

3. Why does Bess marry Harry even though she is really in love with his brother, Jack?

4. Explain the technique of foreshadowing and how the author uses it as Bess enters married life at Groton Manor.

5. What is Bess' mood as she arrives in New England in Chapter 8?

6. What is the sad news that John Winthrop receives after he arrives in New England?

7. Why is John Winthrop worried after his ship sets sail for New England?

8. What happens on Fasting Day in Chapter 11?

9. Why do Bess' neighbors think Bess' new maid, the Indian named Telaka, does the works of the devil?

10. Who makes an unexpected visit to Bess and her daughter, Joan?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Do you think the trial of Anne Hutchinson reflects more negatively on John Winthrop than it does on Anne? Explain. After some research on the transcripts of Anne's trials, what opinion do you have of her? Was Anne an agitator or someone with pure motives? Why could John Winthrop make no allowances for Anne and just let her lead her own life? Was John's behavior motivated by religion or male dominance?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the feelings the Winthrop family must have experienced when they hear reports that people in the New World want to return to England? Do you think they voiced their concerns to John Winthrop? To each other? What trepidation must each one of them experienced? How was Bess' experience different from Margaret's? What would have happened to them if they had refused to board the ship?

Essay Topic 3

Does Bess' openness and sense of adventure put her family at risk? Explain her encounters with Indians as an example. Does Bess assume that everyone has authentic motives as she does? Is Bess' naivete a danger to herself or to the colony? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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