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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 money does Mattie tell Colonel Stonehill that she wants for “Papa’s saddle horse that was stolen” in Chapter 3?

2. What kind of gun does Mattie describe Tom Chaney carrying in Chapter 1?

3. What stock trader does Mattie’s father go to see in Fort Smith in Chapter 1?

4. The gold coins that were stolen from Mattie’s father were from where?

5. Mattie tells Colonel Stonehill in Chapter 3 that her family sold their early cotton in Little Rock to whom?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the executioner in Chapter 2? How is this character described?

2. How does Mattie describe the scene when she arrives at the Federal Courthouse to seek out Rooster Cogburn in Chapter 3? Who is being brought in?

3. How does Mattie describe Stonehill’s stock barn in Chapter 3?

4. How does the sheriff describe L.T. Quinn in Chapter 2?

5. What are the last words of the first man executed in Chapter 2?

6. How is the narrative of True Grit related? Is the story told in first, second or third person? In what tense is the story told?

7. How much does Mattie pay for the embalming and coffin for her father? Why does this distress Yarnell?

8. How is Yarnell Poindexter described in the novel? Why does he accompany Mattie in Chapter 1?

9. How do Mattie and Yarnell travel to Fort Smith in Chapter 2? How is the journey described?

10. How does Mattie describe the city of Fort Smith upon her arrival in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and analyze the character of Mattie Ross as the protagonist of the novel. How old is Mattie when she is retelling the story? How old is Mattie within the story? What characteristics make Mattie stand out as a protagonist?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the language style and dialect in True Grit. How do you relate to the style of speech of the characters? Do you feel this style of dialect realistically reflects the time and place of the story? How?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Mattie Ross’s depiction of Tom Chaney in True Grit. How does Mattie describe Chaney’s appearance? What does she say of his background? What feelings does Mattie express for the man who murdered her father? How does the “reality” of Tom Chaney compare to Mattie’s descriptions of him?

(see the answer keys)

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