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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. By what nickname does Mattie refer to Texas in Chapter 1?

2. Where did Yarnell Poindexter later become a prosperous house painter, according to Mattie in Chapter 1?

3. Mattie sees that Yarnell wants to attend the hanging, so she tells him that they’ll go but won’t tell whom in Chapter 2?

4. Mattie describes a noisy boy going through the crowd at the hanging and selling what?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the setting of the Monarch boarding house in the novel. How large is the boarding house? How many boarders are staying there when Mattie arrives? How much does Mattie pay for room and board, and how is her boarding situation detailed?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the history of the Texas Ranger Division. What role did the Texas Rangers play in the American Civil War? Why have so many works of literature and film revolved around Texas Rangers? What impressions does Mattie have of LaBoeuf’s fancy “getup”?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the language style and dialect in True Grit. How do you relate to the style of speech of the characters? Do you feel this style of dialect realistically reflects the time and place of the story? How?

(see the answer keys)

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