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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 Silas's crew of blockade-runners?

2. What does Marguerite invite the girl that is interviewing her to at her home that night?

3. How old is the newspaper that Jesse reads to his men about the Gettysburg Address?

4. What do the Union soldiers tell Marguerite's servants after besetting them on the road?

5. Which of Marguerite's servants is pregnant?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Marguerite's grown children tell the girl who has been interviewing her at the birthday party?

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

3. After being captured, what does Alexander say when one of the officers asks him what happened to make him fall into this group?

4. What does the army recruiter say that convinces Jesse to join the Union army?

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

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

7. After telling his wife, Leona, in a letter that he has become a Christian, what does Catesby urge his wife, Leona, to do?

8. How does Jesse describe Abraham Lincoln after he sees him coming down the road in Part IV, Chapter 52?

9. What does Duncan tell Sallie about Midge when she comes to visit him in the hospital?

10. After pulling over the Danzinger family's buggy, what do the renegades order Alexander to do after they question Seth about being a spy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

"Jacob's Ladder" is historical fiction which is a story that is set in the past. "Jacob's Ladder" is set in the Civil War in Virginia, and therefore, it is considered historical fiction. Examine the different historical references throughout "Jacob's Ladder". What makes "Jacob's Ladder" historical fiction? Does the author make a point of centering his story on actual events that happened during the Civil War? Does he use real places and dates? Does it make his story more believable? How does it enhance the story?

Essay Topic 2

The resolution is of a series of events that follow the climax of the story, and therefore provides the conclusion of the story. Examine the resolution in "Jacob's Ladder", particularly how it pertains to all the different characters. Is the resolution in "Jacob's Ladder" satisfying? Should it have ended it differently? How does Jesse deal with never finding Marguerite? Compare the resolution in "Jacob's Ladder" to resolutions in other books the class has read.

Essay Topic 3

In "Jacob's Ladder", at some point each character deals with having to decide what is honorable. Explore the theme of honor in the novel and discuss how it relates to the different characters. How important is it for the characters not to lose their honor during war? Why is being honorable important? Is Alexander as honorable as Duncan is? Where in the text does Catesby show that he is honorable?

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