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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 the doctor who takes care of Nora's family?

2. What curiosity unites Emmett and Nora when they first meet?

3. What does Lurie refer to as a spirit's yearning that he is compelled to carry out?

4. What does Jolly call Lurie?

5. What do Lurie and the coachman do for money?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Lurie acquire the last name of Mattie?

2. How does the "Wanted" poster in Part I describe Lurie?

3. What do Emmett and Nora do when some of their neighbors move away, including the Flores family?

4. What kind of creature does Lurie see for the first time when he steals away on the ship in Part II?

5. What is awkward about Nora's visit to Desma in Part II?

6. What was Hobb's special skill, even as a child?

7. What is Hobb's "want" that Lurie is compelled to fulfill?

8. What power does Josie claim to have that Nora is skeptical about?

9. What is one of Nora's most pressing concerns on her homestead?

10. Why does Nora choose to sign her rebuttal letter to The Sentinel from Ellen Francis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay analyzing Nora's misgivings about Josie Kincaid, and explain why she treats Josie the way she does throughout the novel. How and when does Nora's attitude and treatment of Josie begin to change significantly?

Essay Topic 2

In the section titled Afternoon, what do you think Obreht is trying to convey through Lurie's conversations with the writer, who painstakingly records Lurie's stories but dies shortly thereafter? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 3

What makes Lurie give Jolly back the nazar he stole from him in the section titled The Missouri, and what does this action portend about their later relationship? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 604 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample