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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 the name of Duncan's childhood servant who used to light the fire in his room?

2. What do Jesse's men call Abraham Lincoln?

3. What does Catesby tell his wife, in a letter, that he has given up?

4. What does Duncan help Jesse do after they spend the night talking in an abandoned house?

5. What arrives on the train that has the men disappointed that they draw lots for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do the Union soldiers tell Kizzy and Mingo after stopping them on the road as they leave Wilmington?

2. How does Marguerite take control of the situation when Mingo leaves Kizzy pregnant and distraught on the road out of Wilmington?

3. Duncan runs into Midge, now Marguerite Omohundru, at an event, what do they talk about in their private conversation?

4. What happens when Duncan meets Confederate President Davis at an event he attends with Sallie?

5. Where does Jesse take Duncan after getting him out of the Confederate prison?

6. What does the girl that is interviewing Marguerite tell her she is getting continual pressure to do in Part III, Chapter 39?

7. What happens to the young Union soldier who stumbles into the camp of Alexander and the other renegades in Part IV, Chapter 54?

8. After being captured, why are the black soldiers pleading with the Confederates to be released?

9. What does Jesse learn that the surgeon name Potts has done that upsets him?

10. What does Duncan tell Sallie happened when the Union and Confederate troops were camped very closely to each other in Part III, Chapter 39?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The war has caused tremendous changes not only in the characters but also in society. Each character deals with these changes in a different way. Analyze the theme of change in the novel, particularly how it pertains to society. How have these changes affected the characters? What changes have been for the better? What changes have been for the worse? Does something as catastrophic as war need to happen to bring about great change?

Essay Topic 2

In Part II, Chapter 26, Jesse and Rufus run away and learn that Abraham Lincoln has made the Emancipation Proclamation. Jesse and Rufus have no idea what they are taking about. Research the Emancipation Proclamation and examine how it affected the Civil War and slavery. How did it affect the outcome of the war? What did it entail? Why would Jesse or Rufus not know anything about it? When was it put into effect?

Essay Topic 3

Jesse is one of the main characters in "Jacob's Ladder" and is a slave of Samuel Gatewood's. He has been trying to find Maggie ever since she was sold. Analyze the character of Jesse and his importance in the story. Why does Jesse keep trying to run away? How is Jesse treated as a slave? How does Jesse feel about the war? What kind of person is Jesse? How has Jesse affected Maggie?

(see the answer keys)

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