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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. Who does Peter say was murdered in the night and his store looted in Chapter Nine?

2. What are the names of Peter’s two sons?

3. What is the date of Peter’s first diary entry in Chapter Fifteen?

4. How old is Jeanne in the flashback where the Colonel is ninety-eight in Chapter Five?

5. What year is described by Eli in Chapter Thirteen?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Phineas present to Jeanne when she visits him in Austin in Chapter Twenty?

2. What are Jeanne’s perceptions of her classmates at the girl’s boarding school in Chapter Seventeen?

3. What information is related regarding Jeanne’s mother in Chapter Five?

4. How are the living conditions of the Indians described in Chapter Nineteen?

5. What time period is Chapter Four set in? How old is Eli, and what position does he have within his family?

6. Why are homesteaders like Eli’s family in danger of raids? What has created these circumstances?

7. How is Peter’s relationship with the Garcia family illustrated in Chapter Three?

8. How is sexual promiscuity among the Indians described in Chapters Nine through Thirteen?

9. How does Peter’s account of the incident with the Garcias differ from his father’s in Chapter Six?

10. How is the theme of ethnic bias illustrated in Chapters Nine through Thirteen?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss the setting that is established in Chapter One of The Son. Where and when was Eli McCullough born? How does he describe the world that he grew up in? What are some examples of imagery from the chapter that help to develop a tone surrounding this setting? What influence does this setting have on Eli’s character?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the theme of “imparting a personal legacy” in The Son. What advice does the Colonel give to Jeanne McCullough regarding her own personal legacy and the importance of putting one’s name on something? Do you think that this is sound advice? Why or why not? How is this theme illustrated through imagery and characters in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the impact of Charles McCullough’s death on the McCullough family and particularly on Jeanne. Why do you think that Charles chose to leave almost all of his inheritance to Jeanne? How does Jeanne react when she learns this information?

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