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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. The women from the ___________ had taken everything away from the home of Ginny and Rose after their mother had died.

2. Caroline calls and says she had just returned from New York and found a note on her desk saying ____________ had driven to Des Moines to find her.

3. Henry Dodge is a ___________ minister who is always giving sermons which will appeal to the farmers.

4. Ginny wonders how many ___________ visits it might take to cure Larry and Rose after what happened.

5. What does Jess ask Ginny to do when he surprises her by showing up at her house?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens when Jess arrives at Ginny's with frozen meat for her to store for him and for Harold?

2. What are the reactions of the daughters to Larry's new disappearance?

3. What happens to the kitchen cabinets that Larry purchases, even though he doesn't need them?

4. After the storm and the incident in the storm, what does Ginny decide she needs to do for her father?

5. What has Ty wanted to do for years with his share of the farm he lives on?

6. What does Ginny currently do for three households each and every day when she is 36?

7. What do Ginny and the girls encounter when they arrive home after their swimming trip?

8. When Ginny takes her nieces to the swimming pool, what do they complain about to her?

9. What does Ginny drive Rose to and what is the outcome of this trip they take together?

10. What happened to the Ericson farm, according to Ginny's memory of the time it was purchased?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Between Rose's cancer and Ginny's infertility, it seems that maybe there is a genetic or environmental issue at work that might be harming these women.

Part 1: Do you think the farm's chemicals are what are causing the troubles for the women in this story? Why or why not?

Part 2: What does it say about these women that they don't leave, even though the environment might be making them sick?

Part 3: What does it say about Caroline that she is the 'well one' and she left the farm? Should the others have left the farm as well?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the story it is obvious that Ginny wants to have a baby, but at the same time, this goal is clouding her interpretation of events around her.

Part 1: Do you think the story would have been different had Ginny already had children?

Part 2: How do Ginny's fertility issues cloud the storytelling? Or don't they?

Part 3: What might be the symbolism of Ginny's fertility issues in relation to the events which take place?

Essay Topic 3

Much of the novel is sad, depressing, and perhaps even tragic. However, in the face of all this tragedy, it is hard to begin to see who might have suffered more.

Part 1: Describe the tragedy of one character in this story. How has his/her past and/or present pain changed him/her?

Part 2: Do you think it's possible to avoid tragedy in this story? Why or why not?

Part 3: Why do you think the author focused so much on the tragedy of the characters in this story?

(see the answer keys)

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