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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 does Maimie kill herself?

2. Where is Will sitting in a ditch in Book III, pp. 478-509?

3. How does Will greet Lucy when she arrives at the hospital?

4. What does Will do in spite of losing money?

5. What kind of animals does Cassie raise?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Maimie decide to kill herself?

2. What was the fate of Cassie and her parents?

3. What lie does Ned tell his mother and what did he actually do?

4. Why does Lucy decide to leave her family and what gives her validation on her decision?

5. How do Will's financial decisions make the family vulnerable?

6. How does Lieutenant Prothero behave inappropriately toward Unison Randolph?

7. Describe Lucy's success at teaching Sunday School

8. How do Lucy's children feel about Cassie in their lives?

9. What are the circumstances of the death of Lucy and Will's baby, Archie?

10. Who is Maimie L. Beech?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author begins the story in the present day and tells the story through a series of flashbacks. Why did he choose to tell his story this way? In what way is a flashback technique more interesting for a reader? In what ways is it more complicated?

Essay Topic 2

OLDEST LIVING CONFEDERATE WIDOW TELLS ALL is a classic historical fiction story. What does that classification entail? Why does this story fit into this category?

Essay Topic 3

Gurganus uses beautifully descriptive language in the book to help his readers see his world from his perspective. Without referring to the book, describe some situation or location in the book using only your recall of Gurganus' descriptions.

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This section contains 945 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample