I decided to look at again at James Lee Burke’s novel, Two for Texas. As words are important, I decided to make a little Texas vocabulary quiz from words in the book. Take the quiz and see how you do. The answers are below.

Vocabulary Quiz from James Lee Burke’s Two for Texas

1. Who were Houston’s “Twin sisters of Texas”?
2. What were Zapadores?
3. What is a jenny-barner?
4. What Texas Indian tribe mentioned practiced and was known and feared for their ritual cannibalism (of enemies)?
5. What is a cutpurse?
6. The name of the only man who refused to stay and die in the Alamo.
7.  In the historical setting, the town of San Antonio was known as what?
8.  Which Alamo defender was said in the book to be related to Santa Anna by marriage?
9.  What is deguello?
10.  What were maisons de chiens?

Answers:

1. Two six-pounder cannon.
2. These men were the elite, crack troops of Santa Anna.
3. A prostitute
4. Tonkawas
5. Pickpocket
6. Louis “Moses” Rose
7.  Bexar
8.  Jim Bowie
9. A bugle call indicating that no quarter will be given to survivors.
10.  Dog houses. Wooden punishment boxes in the Louisiana prison system that prisoners were locked into.  In the cramped, hot space, with only a cigar-size hole for air, men were known to go mad or suffer intense physical damage to their body.

BOOK SIGNING NEWS:

Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be in the French Quarter for signings. Tomorrow night, I’ll be at the Barnes and Noble in Metairie at 7:00 p.m. signing books and doing a story time. I’ll then have to drive back to Monroe as I have a busy weekend with the Celtic Festival here. When I add that busy schedule to my online classes I must work with every day, it doesn’t leave much time for sleep.  I’ll post as I can this weekend–hopefully with some pictures.