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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. Who is the author of the poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" that Vivian recites in Section 2?

2. Where does the orphan train that Vivian rides on in 1929 make its first stop to meet potential adopters?

3. Where is Jack's father from?

4. What grade does Vivian say she was in school when she was orphaned?

5. What grade was Molly in when she transferred to Mount Desert Island High School?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is indicated by Molly's response when Vivian asks about Molly's mother in Section 2?

2. How is the theme of identity illustrated through Vivian's narratives of the past in Section 2?

3. Describe the process of adoption from the orphan trains. What stands out the most to you about the depictions of these transactions in the novel?

4. What is Molly's function in the narrative? How has Molly's past influenced her character in the beginning of the story?

5. What purpose does the Prologue serve in Orphan Train? How would you describe the language and tone of the Prologue?

6. What aspects of foreshadowing can be seen in the Prologue to Orphan Train?

7. What foreshadowing can be seen through the meeting of Molly and Vivian in the beginning of the novel?

8. Where does Vivian meet Dutchy? What is foreshadowed through their first meeting in the novel?

9. How does the structure of the novel contribute to the theme of the past's influence on the present?

10. What similarities of circumstance are established between the characters of Vivian and Molly in the beginning of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of loss in Orphan Train. How is this theme developed through Vivian’s character and storyline? How is it developed in Molly’s story? What are examples of symbolism in the novel that depict or support this theme?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the similarities and differences between the novel Jane Eyre and Orphan Train. How are the characters in these two stories similar? What themes do the stories relate? Why do you think that Christina Baker Kline chose to use Jane Eyre as the novel that Molly has stolen from the library? What does this tell you about Molly?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the themes of education, reading, and literature in the novel. What does reading represent to Molly and to Vivian? Why? How does Vivian feel about education as a child in the early 1930s? How does Molly feel about her education?

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