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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 holiday song makes Trethewey feel both joy and grief that she associates with her mother?

2. What happened the year that Trethewey moved to Atlanta with her mother?

3. What did Gwendolyn tell Joel when he protested to Trethewey wanted to join a club in school?

4. What did Joel do the year that he finished technical school?

5. What did Joel want to do in Part III that Trethewey was dead set against?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Joel do that used to make Trethewey sob with fear and anxiety in Part III?

2. How did Trethewey learn to figure out whether Joel was in the house or not in Part III?

3. What did Trethewey consider about the medium's words to her after she listened back to the recording of their session?

4. What happened after Gwendolyn told Joel Trethewey knew he was beating her?

5. What news did Trethewey share with Gwendolyn and Joel that prompted Gwendolyn to stand up for her?

6. How long was it before Trethewey had a chance to read her mother's notes that were taken from her briefcase by the police?

7. In what way was Trethewey careful about how she answered the medium's questions?

8. What did Gwendolyn do just weeks before her death that Trethewey revealed in Part IV?

9. Who did Trethewey confide in about hearing Joel beat her mother, and how did that person react?

10. Why did Gwendolyn admonish Trethewey about her hair in Part III?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What did Trethewey think about her mother's decision to visit a psychic weeks before her death? Why did Trethewey herself decide to visit a medium as an adult? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Which extended family members of Trethewey's were most influential in her early life and upbringing, and why? Write an essay explaining your answers.

Essay Topic 3

How and when did Threthewey begin to feel more separated from her mother and her mother's life? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 801 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample