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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. In which century was the city of Pittsburgh founded?

2. How does Annie feel when her mother brings her to meet the neighborhood nuns?

3. Which book by Robert Lewis Stevenson is Annie reading when her father announces he will be taking a trip down the Mississippi?

4. What is the topic of the first book Annie borrows from a friend's house?

5. What do Annie and her friend place on a train track, just to see what would happen?

Short Essay Questions

1. How was the city of Pittsburgh founded?

2. How does Henry greet Annie and her mother when he spots them at the Homewood Library?

3. What jobs does Father have after he returns from his failed trip down the Mississippi?

4. What is Father's role in the film "Night of the Living Dead"?

5. How does Annie Dillard describe Pittsburgh in the 18th century?

6. How does Annie describe life for the typical family after WWII?

7. What happened when Annie is caught throwing snowballs at a car?

8. How does Mother react to Father's desire to travel down the river?

9. Why does Annie Dillard's father leave home for a few months when she is a small girl, and what brings him back?

10. What is Annie shocked to realize when she first attempts to draw her baseball mitt ?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As a teenager, Annie describes herself as wild and troubled. First, give at least two examples of behaviors which were considered unacceptable in Annie's household and what the consequences of these actions were in Annie's life. Then, explain how Annie saved herself from what she has described as a life of destruction?

Essay Topic 2

Annie frequently claims that young children have no sense of wonder. What does Annie mean by this statement? Explain Annie's views on children and imagination. Then, explain whether or not Annie is an exception or an example of her theory on childhood wonderment, and why.

Essay Topic 3

Organized religion is a constant theme throughout Annie's memoir. First, explain Annie's relationship to Catholicism as a child. Then, compare / contrast the Catholicism of Annie's childhood to the Protestantism of her adulthood. How did Annie's relationship with organized religion change as she matured into adulthood?

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