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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 constructs a tent out of canvas and wood once the hunting party sets up camp in the valley?

2. How far away from Miller are the buffalo before he starts shooting?

3. For what reason does Miller fling grass into the air during the buffalo hunt?

4. Who carries Miller's supply of ammunition during the hunt?

5. What is NOT a material used by someone in the hunting party when he turns gunpowder into bullets?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Williams depict Andrews's change in perspective in relation to the grisly task of skinning buffalo?

2. What are Miller's first words after the accident with the wagon in the river and what do they indicate about his character?

3. After reading about Schneider's death, what instances of foreshadowing are now visible to the reader?

4. Discuss the irony present in the depiction of Schneider's death.

5. Describe and analyze the intense clash between Miller and Schneider in Part Two, Chapter VI.

6. How does Miller's explanation of his shooting mistake jibe with Andrews's own feelings about fate and consciousness?

7. What event forces Miller to stop killing buffalo once he has reduced the herd by at least two-thirds?

8. How does Andrews feel about the coming of winter and why?

9. What is the result of Miller's decision to keep hunting after Schneider protests the extension of the hunt?

10. What is the author's purpose for including each hunting party member's reaction to the coming winter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the theme of courage function within the novel and what is the author's message regarding this theme?

Essay Topic 2

What is the author's message regarding the history of America in John Williams's novel Butcher's Crossing and what themes does the author employ in order to send these messages to the reader?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's choice to tell the story of John Williams's novel Butcher's Crossing using the third person omniscient point-of-view. What elements of the novel's themes lend themselves to this choice and what is the author's intended effect on the reader?

(see the answer keys)

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