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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 steps are taken to make sure Liz and her family are safe after Marlee tells Betty Jean about the episode in the woods from Chapter 40?

2. What does Mrs. Dalton ask of Marlee before she leaves her first WEC meeting?

3. What does Marlee's father tell her is the reason he helped Curtis and got involved with racial justice issues?

4. What is Marlee's father's surprise Christmas gift for the whole family?

5. What does Marlee's father have to do to get Curtis out of jail?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does David tell Marlee about the significance of Act 10?

2. What do the WEC leaders tell Marlee about how they deal with the threatening letters they receive about their political work?

3. What did Betty Jean tell Marlee about what the NAACP had advised Negroes about sending their children to private segregated schools?

4. What big news does Judy tell Marlee over Thanksgiving break and what does Marlee think about it?

5. How does JT react when Marlee finally tells him she will no longer do his math homework for him?

6. What does Red do at the Christmas parade that upsets Marlee?

7. Why did Marlee feel so responsible for Betty Jean's son, Curtis's, arrest?

8. What does Marlee's mother tell her about the origins of Marlee's name when she gives her the letter opener on her birthday?

9. What is the reason Marlee's father gives when she asks him why he helped Curtis get out of jail?

10. How does Marlee's expectation of the plane ride her father gives the family compare with her actual experience of the journey?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Although she is a minor character, JT's mother, Mrs. Dalton, has the most to lose from her involvement in the WEC (Women's Emergency Committee to Re-open Our Schools). Write an essay analyzing why Mrs. Dalton chooses to get involved on the more pro-integration side of the debate and the impact her choice to let Marlee open Red's trunk in chapter 54 has on the novel's resolution.

Essay Topic 2

Marlee develops a special relationship with Betty Jean, her family's Negro maid. Write an essay analyzing when and why Marlee begins confiding in Betty Jean in a way she can not seem to do with her own family members.

Essay Topic 3

Marlee's father Richard is committed to actively supporting school integration. Write an essay exploring the origins of Marlee's father's pro-integration ideas. Does his position on racial equality and issues surrounding racism change much during the course of the novel?

(see the answer keys)

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