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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. What is Jick's first meal after he leaves the scorched mountains?

2. In August, after haying season, Jick's mother is busy with what?

3. Who had told the main character's parents, long ago, that he looked like "the jick of the family?"

4. When Mac was a teenager, what was his relationship with Stanley?

5. How does the Forest Service plan to cut costs at the beginning of fire season n 1939?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Jick describe the avalanche of fire that fills the gulch, and why is the event significant?

2. Why is Jick fond of operating the scatter rake?

3. How does Stanley convince Mac to give him a private audience, when Mac is trying to strategize with Paul and the fire foremen?

4. What is the cause of the past rift between Stanley and Mac, as revealed near the end of Part 3?

5. Describe the decorating project Jick undertakes, to keep himself occupied in the heat of August.

6. Describe the final moments of Mac's life.

7. What was the early relationship between Stanley and Mac, as revealed near the end of Part 3?

8. Why is Cyrus better known by the nickname, "Wisdom?"

9. How do the six fires, ignited during a storm on August 25, 1939, progress?

10. What is the first breakfast Stanley and Jick prepare for the firefighters?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Mac is summoned to Missoula for fire danger classes, he rails against regulations and "desk jockeys." Why does Mac value experience and instinct over rules and training? Why, given his attitude, does he want Alec to go to college rather than face life head on and gain experience?

Essay Topic 2

Describe Flume Gorge, the McCaskill's favorite place in the Two Medicine National Forest. Why do they feel so strongly about that location? Why is it significant that, in the climax of the novel, the glorious Flume Gorge is on fire?

Essay Topic 3

The Williamsons and the Double W Ranch are seen, throughout "English Creek," as symbolic of the evil of greed and excess wealth. Cite several examples in the novel when greed is illustrated by actions of the Williamsons. Consider also Lisabeth's speech at the Fourth of July Picnic.

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This section contains 798 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample