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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 remembered on All Saints Day?

2. What reason does Helen give, for abdicating from life?

3. Whose kidnapping did Francis’ son Billy get mixed up in?

4. What does Helen say is her lucky star?

5. Why was Billy in trouble with the politicians?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Helen angry with Francis, when she thinks about him in the hotel?

2. Who was Katrina Daugherty and what was her role in Francis’ life?

3. What peace does Francis establish with the ghosts who have been following him?

4. How did Helen’s father’s death change her life?

5. Describe Annie’s greeting when Francis arrives at her house.

6. What prompts Francis to get down from Rosskam’s wagon and quit for the day?

7. Describe Helen’s relationship with Arthur.

8. What deal do Francis and Rosskam strike regarding Francis’ pay for the day?

9. How did Helen’s mother and brother cheat her?

10. What was Francis’ mother’s relationship with Katrina Daugherty like?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of the city of Albany in Ironweed? Is it an essentially American place that symbolizes the American experience, or is it a personal place whose significance is limited to the author and the particular characters he created?

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate your own reading of Ironweed—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 3

Would you recommend Ironweed? For what purposes would you recommend Ironweed, and what kinds of readers would you recommend it for? What other book would you recommend that would cover the same material or tell the same story in a different way?

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This section contains 960 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample