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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. How much were the big watermelons at Ash Grove?

2. Which of the following was NOT a term used by Laura to describe the towns in Missouri?

3. What did the Wilders see lying around on the ground in Fort Scott?

4. Where did Sherwin end up settling himself in Missouri?

5. Why were the Wilders able to cross more ground per day in Kansas?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Laura do while Almanzo worked on clearing the land?

2. What did Laura say about all the bad comments they heard from people about Missouri?

3. What does the first picture included of Mansfield show?

4. Where had Sherwin settled, and how was this discovered?

5. What did Laura joke about when she heard cowbells in a field in Missouri?

6. What was the major drawback that Laura found when she got to Mansfield?

7. What did Laura find shortly after crossing the Kansas River?

8. What did Almanzo stop doing when they started passing numerous immigrant wagon trains?

9. What did the Wilders think of Springfield, and what did they do there?

10. What did Rose and her friends do while their parents looked for homes in the area?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does the lap desk play in the story, and what does it symbolize? How is the plot altered by the presence of the lap desk?

Essay Topic 2

What are the main differences that the Wilders observed as they took their journey west, and how do these changes affect the family?

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of unlikely friendships forged in this book. Please explain some of these friendships, and describe how their relationship was forged, as well as how this relationship affected the outcome of the book.

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This section contains 594 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample