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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 was Edward Williams born?

2. Who does Edward contact in Africa?

3. What does the American Colonization Society recognize as a secondary benefit of their program?

4. Why does Martha's new owner/master decide to sell her?

5. What is going on in California during this time period?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Martha pay for her passage to California?

2. In "West," who finds Martha in Denver, and what does this person do for her?

3. What does Martha think happened to her daughter?

4. Describe the mystery woman.

5. What happens to most of the letters that Nash Williams writes to Edward Wiliams?

6. What happens to Martha's boyfriend?

7. Describe the relation between Madison Williams and Edward Williams.

8. Describe the plantation that Edward Williams owns.

9. Briefly describe the journey that Edward Williams takes to find Nash.

10. Describe Martha's boyfriend, Chester.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Crossing the River is a novel made up of four different, stand-alone stories, but they all have common themes and characters. What characters did you find to be most similar from different stories, and why? How are they similar? What themes do they reflect, and what influences their character? Does setting play a role in their shared themes or is it more of their similar circumstances? Remember to provide examples to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

While the first two stories in Crossing the River showed struggle more from the perspective of black characters who were victims of a cruel society that endorsed slavery, "Crossing the River" is told wholly from the perspective of a white captain who promotes slavery through trade. Describe his beliefs and how he reconciles them with the immoral profession he endorses and takes part in. What is "commercial detachment," and what does Captain Hamilton think of it?

Essay Topic 3

All the stories that make up Crossing the River share common threads though they fall across different lands and times. Choose one theme that runs throughout all the stories, and describe how your chosen theme runs through each story. You must mention all four stories, describing how that theme runs through it. Make sure you use examples from the book to support your answer. Your answer should be at least four paragraphs (one paragraph for each story).

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This section contains 806 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample