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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. According to Mattie in Chapter 1, her father was wounded in battle in the “terrible fight at Chickamauga up in the state of” what?

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

3. 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”?

4. Approximately how much is the charge for embalming and the coffin for Mattie’s father in Chapter 2?

5. What animals does Mattie say in Chapter 3 are “all wicked, though often useful”?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Mattie describe the scene when she arrives at the Federal Courthouse to seek out Rooster Cogburn in Chapter 3? Who is being brought in?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

Describe and discuss the setting of True Grit. When and where does Mattie’s story take place? What indications in the text show the time period of the narrative? Where is Mattie’s family homestead? How far is it from Fort Smith, Arkansas?

(see the answer keys)

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