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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 did Ruby have to teach herself to do?

2. Who did not attend Burr's wedding?

3. Who wasn't allowed to go to the hospital with everyone after the vacation injury?

4. When did Tiny Fran leave Burr?

5. What did Jack like to do to Cecil?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Roland do to Ruby's mule?

2. Before leaving home, what had been Ruby's experience with cooking?

3. Why was Ruby so proud of her cooking?

4. Why does Jack remove the sheets? Why does Burr think Jack has removed the sheets?

5. After June left their house, what did Jack and Ruby turn to in order to fill the void?

6. After Ruby's spirit does not visit, what does Jack do the next day?

7. What did Jack and Ruby think happens to the soul after death?

8. Describe the group's beach vacation.

9. What did Burr do for his father when he died?

10. What did the other migrant workers criticize Ruby for?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore Ruby's sense of pride, both before and after John Woodrow, as well as during childhood and adulthood.

Essay Topic 2

Explore the theme of death that occurs throughout the novel. How does death affect the various characters? How do some deaths, such as that of Burr's father, compare and contrast to Ruby's in how it affects their loved ones?

Essay Topic 3

Speculate on the nature vs. nurture acquisition of abusive behavior in:

a) Tiny Fran

b) Roland

c) John Woodrow

Be sure to cite evidence from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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