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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 Washoe Zephyr?

2. Where does the narrator finally enjoy a great breakfast?

3. How many feet of dirt is Hyde's ranch buried underneath?

4. What does Slade reportedly do while he is being hung?

5. During their second unsuccessful attempt at starting a fire, how many matches does the party burn?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How do the narrator and his crew respond to the prospect of freezing to death?

3. How is the breakfast that the narrator is served in Nebraska described, and what future traveling accommodations does he compare his situation to?

4. What are Twain's views about the amount of information in the book, as he states in the Prefatory?

5. How does the narrator describe the Goshoot Indians?

6. How does the narrator help his brother in writing to the government for money?

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

8. Who accompanies the narrator on his trip to Humboldt County, and how does the first two hundred miles of their expedition go?

9. How does the narrator discuss the Mormon religion?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the Hawaiian islands in detail as they are explored by the narrator towards the end of the book. Include the historical relevance of his six-month stay on the island, several examples of the scenery, and why he enjoyed the culture there. Also, analyze the author's style of writing in these chapters and how it complements the narrator's profession at this point of the story.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the contrast between Carson City and Lake Tahoe. What are the narrator's experiences in both places? Why does he choose to spend time in Lake Tahoe, and what are some of the ways it provides what the city cannot? How does Twain's description of Lake Tahoe illustrate his writing talent? Which events in both Lake Tahoe and Carson City display the main theme of the narrator's trip, and why?

Essay Topic 3

The beginning of the narrator's trip is a preview of the events that lie ahead for him as well as the overall tone of the book.

1) Describe the events that cause the narrator to travel to the West, including the anticipated length of the trip.

2) Explain the limitations of space and amenities on the mail coach that the narrator rides on and how that parallels one of the story's themes.

3) Describe some of the ironic situations or setbacks that the narrator encounters in the initial chapters and how they establish the author's tone in the book.

(see the answer keys)

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