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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. Where did Uncle Fifty show up drunk and passed out when he arrived at Mattie’s family home?

2. By what name does Mattie refer to Aunt Josie’s husband in the narrative?

3. What is Mattie’s father’s name in the novel?

4. Where was the historical figure of Chester Gillette born?

5. How long ago has Mattie’s mother died in the beginning of the narrative?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Mattie’s family characterized in Chapter 1? What central tensions in the family are introduced in this chapter?

2. How is the character of Weaver Smith described when he is introduced in Chapter 2?

3. How is the character of Emmie Hubbard described? What information does the reader learn of Emmie’s situation in Chapter 14?

4. What clue does Mattie discover in Grace Brown’s letters in Chapter 13? What does she do with this information?

5. What parallels does Mattie make between her situation and that of Grace Brown in Chapter 10?

6. How is Uncle Fifty’s character described when he arrives in Chapter 11?

7. What is the crisis that occurs in the opening of A Northern Light? How does this crisis involve the protagonist of the novel?

8. What exchange takes place between Pa and Miss Wilcox in Chapter 12? What repercussions does this have for Mattie?

9. What book does Miss Wilcox give to Mattie in Chapter 15? What are Mattie’s impressions of the book?

10. What conflicts regarding the expected roles of women are introduced in Chapter 1?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the early feminist movement and the suffrage movement in the United States. When did women begin to demand the right to vote and when was the right granted? What are some examples of early feminist authors, and what were their main causes at the turn of the century? How does author Jennifer Donnelly depict this movement in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze and discuss the theme of appearances versus reality in the novel. How does this theme apply to Miss Wilcox? How does it apply in the letters of Grace Brown? What other characters exhibit an unexpected secret?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss Mattie Gokey’s relationship to her family members. How many siblings does Mattie have? When did Mattie’s mother die and how did her death affect Mattie? What is Mattie’s relationship to her father like?

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