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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. Who is Lee's husband?

2. Where does Lee now live with her husband in Book One?

3. How does Isaac know Daryl Foster?

4. What does Harris warn Poe NOT to do when he releases him from the jail in Book Two?

5. Who comes to lock Poe up in the jail in the woods in Book Two?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the murder in Book One influence the characters of Isaac and Poe?

2. What internal conflicts does Poe face in the beginning of Book Two?

3. Describe the character of Bud Harris in the narrative. What is revealed about Harris's inner thoughts in Book Two?

4. How would you describe the atmosphere of the setting and characters in Book One?

5. Where does Isaac encounter the teenage thugs in Book Two? What happens when he encounters them?

6. Describe the murder in Book One. What leads up to the murder?

7. Where do Isaac and Poe encounter the three drifters in Book One? Who are the drifters and how are they described?

8. What happens when Harris confronts Poe in the woods in Book Two?

9. How does the theme of fatalism apply to Grace and Billy Poe in Book One?

10. What takes place in Grace Poe's narrative in Book Two?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the setting of the Fayette prison in the novel. How do the rules and morals within the prison differ from those in the outside world? How do Poe's experiences in the prison change him? Who are the major characters introduced at Fayette prison?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the motif of suicide in American Rust. What characters have committed, attempt to commit, or do commit suicide in the novel? Why do they commit suicide? What do you think this indicates?

Essay Topic 3

Describe and discuss the events surrounding the murder that Isaac commits. Where does the murder take place? What events lead up to the murder? Do you think that Isaac is justified in committing the murder? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 895 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample