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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 Tawanda die?

2. How much are the cows sold for at Punta Rassa in 1892?

3. How many more miscarriages has Glenda suffered by 1888?

4. What year do the orange trees finally start blooming?

5. How many days does the family rest after Glenda's miscarriage?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the oranges reflect the state of Tobias and the MacIvey family after Emma's death?

2. What events change Sol's mind about land development?

3. Why does Sol decide to leave the MacIvey homestead?

4. What leads Sol to visit the Seminole village for the first time and what does he learn there?

5. How does Zech deal with the cattle rustlers in 1896?

6. What happens when Sol and Toby meet for the second time?

7. How does Glenda die, and what advice does Zech give to Sol afterward?

8. What news does Tawanda have for Zech on his visit to the Seminole village after the cattle drive?

9. How does Bonnie die?

10. What plan does Zech confide in Emma before the wedding?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Analyze the advice that Zech gives to Sol after Glenda dies. What are his reasons for the warning he gives Sol? Use the book as a reference to provide examples that explain why Zech looks at life the way he does at this point in the story. How does Sol follow his father's advice in his own life? Do you agree with the advice given by Zech? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Many of the women in the book seem to have tragic, unforeseen deaths.

1) Describe how Emma dies and what the reaction of Tobias is along with the rest of the family. What did Emma represent for Tobias, and why is he having difficulty living without her?

2) Explain how Glenda dies and the author's possible reasons for ending the character this way. How did Glenda help Zech fit into the present and future? What does her death signal for him?

3) Describe how Bonnie dies and how her death continues the tragic theme that the author establishes throughout the book.

Essay Topic 3

The issue of land rights becomes a major part of the story for the MacIveys. Provide several examples of how the theme of land, ownership, and preservation is portrayed in the book. In addition, include which characters it affects the most and why.

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