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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 is Mattie served for breakfast by Mrs. Floyd in the beginning of Chapter 3?

2. Who does the sheriff name as the best tracker and a half-breed Comanche in Chapter 2?

3. The gold coins that were stolen from Mattie’s father were from where?

4. Mattie describes the undertaker that she and Yarnell go to see about her father’s body as being what in Chapter 2?

5. What is the name of the hangman in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is revealed of Rooster Cogburn during the trial in Chapter 3?

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

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

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

5. 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?

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

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

8. How is Yarnell Poindexter described in the novel? Why does he accompany Mattie in Chapter 1?

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

10. What is the principle setting of the story? Where does Mattie’s family live?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the racial relations in the United States following the Civil War. How are these race relations illustrated in True Grit? How does Mattie’s relationship with and behavior toward Yarnell Poindexter differ from how he is treated by other white characters in the narrative?

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

Discuss Mattie Ross’s depiction of Tom Chaney in True Grit. How does Mattie describe Chaney’s appearance? What does she say of his background? What feelings does Mattie express for the man who murdered her father? How does the “reality” of Tom Chaney compare to Mattie’s descriptions of him?

(see the answer keys)

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