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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 historical town does Ma compare Clifton to?

2. What startles Jessie in Chapter 10?

3. How does Jessie end up escaping from Clifton?

4. What does Ma do before leaving the Bentons' house in Chapter 1?

5. Who says wives must be obedient to their husbands in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 8, how does Jessie almost give away her true identity?

2. After watching Clifton from the outside point of view, what does Jessie think of people in 1996?

3. What does Ma give Jessie before she leaves Clifton?

4. What does Jessie think when she first sees a row of school buses?

5. What does Ma reveal to Jessie about Clifton?

6. Why does Jessie's mother leave the house in the middle of the night in Chapter 1?

7. How does Jessie escape from Clifton?

8. What upsets Jessie about the middle school student visitors she meets?

9. In Chapter 5, what does Ma tell Jessie about clothing?

10. What happens when Jessie walks Katie home before she leaves Clifton?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the changes between 1840 and 1996. Which changes are largest? What things are the same? What do these similarities and differences reveal about modern times?

Essay Topic 2

Analyze Clifton as a setting in this novel. How does the description of the village vs. the tourist area affect the development of the plot and characters? Consider the author's use of word choice when describing Clifton.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the development of Jessie throughout this novel. Assess how the major events of the novel change her as a character. Also, explore how Jessie's personal relationships change her throughout the novel.

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