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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 is the first battle of the war?

2. Where is Shadrach heading a week after reading Tom's letter?

3. Which side of the war does Jethro believe in?

4. Who killed Jethro's sister, Mary?

5. How does Bill think problems should be solved?

Short Essay Questions

1. What added a lot of strain to the issues of war in Jethro's home state?

2. What does Tom say in his first letter home from the war?

3. How is Jethro prepared for his first trip into town?

4. What happens when Ellen hears the men all debating heatedly about the issues of the war?

5. What harm is done to Jethro's farm while Matt is ill?

6. What happens at the Creighton table when the subject of the war is brought up?

7. How is Jethro helped after his experience in the town store?

8. What does Jethro's mother praise him for at the beginning of the book?

9. Which side of the debate does Ellen's nephew believe in?

10. How do Jethro and his mother feel about the onset of the Civil War?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Responsibility and coming-of-age are two themes that are interwoven in many places of this plot. Where do these themes appear, and how do they work together to move the plot along?

Essay Topic 2

Despair is a theme that is placed in a number of sensitive places in the plot. What are some of these places, and what role does despair play in this book?

Essay Topic 3

This plot takes place during the Civil War. How does this historic event shape the main characters in the book?

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