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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. Which U.S. marshal does the sheriff say in Chapter 2 brings in prisoners alive and “believes even the worst of men is entitled to a fair shake”?

2. How much money does Mattie take with her when she and Yarnell go to see about her father’s body in Chapter 2?

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

4. What newspaper does Mattie mention that publishes a delinquent tax list every year in Chapter 3?

5. What is the name of the cat where Rooster Cogburn lives in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mattie describe the career of Judge Isaac Parker in Chapter 3?

2. How much does Mattie pay for the embalming and coffin for her father? Why does this distress Yarnell?

3. How does the sheriff describe L.T. Quinn in Chapter 2?

4. What was stolen from Mattie Ross’s father when he was killed?

5. How was Mattie Ross’s father killed in the narrative? Where was he killed?

6. How does Mattie describe the city of Fort Smith upon her arrival in Chapter 2?

7. Who is the executioner in Chapter 2? How is this character described?

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

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

10. How does Colonel Stonehill describe the plight of the U.S. marshal when he hears of Mattie’s story in Chapter 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the Harrison Narcotics Law and the Volstead Act. Mattie Ross praises both of these laws in Chapter 4. When were they both enacted? What did the laws entail? What politicians does Mattie Ross discuss in regard to prohibition in Chapter 4? What role did these individuals play historically in prohibition?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Discuss the history of hanging and capital punishment in the United States, particularly in the South, during the late 1800s. What was the largest mass hanging in the U.S.? When did the last execution by public hanging take place? How common were occurrences such as the public hanging in Chapter 2?

(see the answer keys)

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