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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 fast does a Pony Express rider travel?

2. What do the assayers do?

3. Where do the narrator and a companion take their vacation?

4. What type of mines does the author encounter in the book?

5. What happens to the mules as they become tired from the heat of the desert?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Great American Desert like, and what is interesting about Carson Lake?

2. What is the situation of Mr. Street and how does it provide an example of Utah's way of governing for the narrator?

3. How does the narrator describe the coyotes he sees?

4. What is the reality of the alkali desert as the narrator experiences it after leaving Salt Lake City?

5. How does Slade die and what point does the narrator make about it?

6. How long is the Prefatory in Roughing It, and what is its purpose?

7. What is the economy of Salt Lake City like, and how long do the travelers stay there?

8. What is the writing style of Mark Twain that is established in the Prefatory?

9. What are the details of the court case between Hyde and Morgan, and what is the outcome?

10. What skills does Captain John Nye have, and how does he help the narrator and his party?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Slade is a character that depicts the roughness of the West during the late 1800s.

1) Describe Slade's background in detail, including his reputation and how he gained it.

2) Explain how Slade dies and what it represents in the way violent criminals face death.

3) Describe the event that occurs between the narrator and Slade, how the narrator reacts, and what his reasons are.

Essay Topic 2

Describe Higbie's character in detail, including his background and main attributes. Also, analyze the decisions made by both the narrator and Higbie to abandon their blind lead claim. What is the major difference in the two decisions and how does it define each character? Provide examples from the book to explain the possible reasons for why the author chooses to include Higbie in the book's dedication instead of some of the other characters he meets during his journey, such as Captain John Nye.

Essay Topic 3

Describe Mark Twain's objectives of writing Roughing It. Use the information in the Prefatory to explain his reasons for chronicling his adventures and the style he intends to use in the book. Then, provide examples that display how Twain accomplishes his objectives on multiple levels.

(see the answer keys)

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