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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. How does the convict feel about the impending delivery of the pregnant refugee's baby?

2. What state is Buck Hipps from?

3. What part of Henry's body is broken during the wild horse stampede?

4. When the convict and the refugee pass the first boat on the river, what is the gruff man aboard the boat holding in his hands?

5. How much money is Flem Snopes ordered to pay back to the Armstid family?

Short Essay Questions

1. What crime was the tall convict convicted of committing?

2. Where is the refugee woman's baby born?

3. How many of the wild horses escape from the corral at the end of the auction, and what is the farmer's reaction to this number?

4. How does the story of "The Old Man" open?

5. What is Ratcliff's reaction to Hipps' arrival in Mississippi?

6. What is the general reaction to the judgment against Snopes in the courtroom?

7. What are Eck's expectations when he enters the court on the day of his trial?

8. How does Snopes treat Mrs. Armstid in court when she brings up a case against him?

9. Toward the end of the trip on the steamboat, how does the Red Cross doctor treat the convict?

10. How does Hipps get the auction of his horses started?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the story "Spotted Horses", the escaped wild horses run rampant in the town, creating much damage for the already struggling Mississippi families. First, explain how the horses managed to escape from their pens and then list the damages created by their stampede. Which family do you think came out with the worst damages after the stampede? How can you tell? Finally, explain how the damaged family managed to right their lives again (if they did) and what effect the horse stampede had on this family's relationship with the town.

Essay Topic 2

Halfway through the story, "The Bear", Faulkner completely changes his use of grammar and punctuation. First, describe the narrative style Faulkner employs in the first half of the novel and compare / contrast that to the narrative style he employs in the second half of the novel. What prompts the change in Faulkner's writing style halfway through the novel? What is accomplished by this change is style? What is lost? In the end, do you think the change in narrative style was effective, or successful? Why or why not? Be sure to include at least two examples from the text that you believe help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

In the story "The Old Man", the tall convict is faced with the idea of freedom for the first time in eight years during the flood. First, explain the tall convict's reaction to the idea of freedom. How does the convict's relationship to freedom and the outside, "normal" world fuel his actions throughout the story. How do these actions give the reader deeper insight into the tall convict's view of himself and of his crimes? Be sure to include at least two examples from the text that you believe help strengthen your arguments.

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