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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. Mattie says in Chapter 3, “You must pay for everything in this world one way and another. There is nothing free except” what?

2. Mattie says in Chapter 2, “I thought then and still think that Fort Smith ought to be in” what state, as opposed to Arkansas?

3. How much money does Mattie tell Colonel Stonehill that she wants for “Papa’s saddle horse that was stolen” in Chapter 3?

4. Yarnell Poindexter is described as a freeborn black man from where?

5. Mattie claims in Chapter 3, “Papa used to say that the only friends we had down here right after the war were” whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the last words of the first man executed in Chapter 2?

2. How does Mattie Ross describe Tom Chaney in Chapter 1?

3. How do Mattie and Yarnell travel to Fort Smith in Chapter 2? How is the journey described?

4. What leads to Mattie’s disappointment when she speaks with the deputy marshal at the Federal Courthouse in Chapter 3?

5. How is Judge Isaac Parker’s appearance and demeanor described when he enters in Chapter 3?

6. How is the narrative of True Grit related? Is the story told in first, second or third person? In what tense is the story told?

7. How does Mattie describe the execution of the Indian in Chapter 2?

8. What agreement do Mattie Ross and Colonel Stonehill reach regarding their settlement in Chapter 3?

9. How does Mattie describe Stonehill’s stock barn in Chapter 3?

10. How does Mattie describe the setting of the hanging in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the characters of U.S. marshals William Waters, L.T. Quinn, and Rooster Cogburn as described by the sheriff in Chapter 2. What makes Mattie Ross choose Rooster Cogburn based on the sheriff’s descriptions? Why does Mattie not choose the “law abiding” marshal? What qualities make her choose Rooster?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the character of Mattie Ross as the protagonist of the novel. How old is Mattie when she is retelling the story? How old is Mattie within the story? What characteristics make Mattie stand out as a protagonist?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the real-life figure of Judge Isaac Parker. For how many years was Parker a Federal Judge? By what nickname was Parker known at this time? How many executions did Judge Parker order? What does Judge Parker represent to Mattie in the story? What are Mattie’s feelings about Parker’s system of justice?

(see the answer keys)

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