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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 does Alice beg Lizzy to do after she bolts from the church?

2. Where does Alice work?

3. Where does Howard's mother live?

4. Alice is compared to which fictional character?

5. Who cared for Alice when her mother died?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the School Board meeting when Alice runs away.

2. What advice does Theresa get from her friend, Albert, regarding mourning for Lizzy?

3. What thoughts does Alice have regarding God that show her elementary thinking on the topic?

4. Describe the behavior of Howard and Alice in the church for Lizzy's funeral.

5. Who is Nellie and what is her relationship with the Goodwins?

6. What is the tragedy that occurs early in the story?

7. What is the significance of the maps of the world that Alice had drawn as a child?

8. What is the relationship between Alice and her mother-in-law, Nellie, after Lizzy's funeral?

9. How does the author use foreshadowing by introducing Robbie Mackessy's mother in the hospital lounge scene?

10. What comment does Alice call out when the officers question her and how can it be detrimental for her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The author begins the story from Alice's perspective and then transitions to Howard's perspective and then reverts back to Alice's perspective. Why did she choose to tell the story this way? In what way is an alternating point of view more interesting for a reader? In what ways is it more complicated?

Essay Topic 2

The author uses more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two examples about loss in the book. Then explain how each example supports the theme of loss.

Essay Topic 3

Project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for the lives of Howard and Alice and Theresa and Dan. Be sure to include emotional states as well as physical characteristics, geographic locations, work, socialization, and other life-defining features.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,139 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample