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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 was the name of the pet cat that Ivan's parents had?

2. What was the name of the ranch where Tom and Bessie found work?

3. What is the elevation of the valley where Ivan and his father lived most of their lives?

4. Mount Edith is the name shown on maps, but what do those who live in the area call the mountain?

5. Where does the story begin?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did a forest ranger say about Ivan's mother?

2. Describe where Ivan lived with his parents when he was six.

3. Why did Charlie decide to ask Bessie to help him with Ivan?

4. Describe Thomas Ringer.

5. What was different about Ruth from the other ranch cooks?

6. Why did Ivan's father and Cliff decide to leave an outfit?

7. Why wouldn't Charlie and Ruth end their marriage?

8. Why were the clockless mountain summers over for Charlie Doig when Berneta had died?

9. What did D.L. Doig raise after his ranch began to prosper?

10. Why would Ivan's father work for McGrath?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Using examples from This House of Sky, discuss Ivan's relationship with his father.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss why Ivan says that "Memory is a kind of homesickness."

Essay Topic 3

Discuss why to Ivan his high school years were a regiment of calm rather than the torchlit, raucous time that many high schoolers experience. Use examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 756 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample