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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. When Mattie and Ranger LaBoeuf get into a disagreement in Chapter 4, Mattie tells him, “I will not be” what?

2. When Mattie is sick in Chapter 4, Mrs. Floyd wraps a rag around her neck that has been soaked in what?

3. Mattie compares the mark on Tom Chaney’s face with whose in Chapter 4?

4. What ghost story does Mattie suggest telling around the campfire in Chapter 6?

5. Ranger LaBoeuf tells Mattie in Chapter 4, “Now I am of a mind to give you” what?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Mattie describe Ranger LaBoeuf’s appearance when he arrives at the Monarch boarding house in Chapter 4?

2. What obstacles does the snow present as Mattie, Rooster, and LaBoeuf travel in Chapter 6?

3. What is Rooster Cogburn’s response when Mattie asks him if he thinks President Hayes will commute Odus Wharton’s sentence in Chapter 5?

4. What opinions does Mattie assert regarding prohibition in Chapter 4?

5. What does Rooster do to the boys and mule when Mattie, LaBoeuf, and Rooster arrive at the store in Chapter 6?

6. What concerns does LaBoeuf voice about the campfire when the group first stops for the night in Chapter 6?

7. What are the boys doing outside the store when Mattie, LaBoeuf, and Rooster arrive in the beginning of Chapter 6?

8. What is LaBoeuf’s reply when Mattie asks him why Tom Chaney supposedly shot a Texas senator?

9. What information does LaBoeuf relate to Mattie about his profession and assignment in Chapter 4?

10. What does Mattie do when Rooster Cogburn goes to grab her as they’re arguing about her going on the trip in Chapter 5?

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

Discuss the characters of Bagby, his wife, and the two teenagers at the store in Chapter 6. What does Mattie remark about the religion of the Indian wife? How does this encounter change Mattie’s views of the Indians? How does this setting differ from that of Fort Worth or Mattie’s homestead? What are her impressions of this place?

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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