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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. When Ginny serves her father his breakfast in the morning, she withholds all ____________ for him and for his condition.

2. Ginny cannot think of ________ without thinking of her room, which she cannot think of without thinking of her father.

3. __________ is complaining about the new red air conditioned Harvester tractor that was recently purchased.

4. What did Larry do to the Ericson farm right after his wife died?

5. Where do Ginny and Rose sit as they talk about what Larry might have to say about Rose's accusations?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What did Ginny and Rose create inside of their mother's closet when they were little?

5. Describe the way that Marv Carlson, the banker, eats when he arrives at Larry's house the morning after the pig roast.

6. What ends the two week long Monopoly game and causes the family to react angrily?

7. What does Harold publicly denounce Ginny and Rose for doing to Larry?

8. Why was Jess in church that morning, as he explains later when his father and brother are not around?

9. What is Marc Griffin, the banker, worried about in relation to the actions of Larry on his farm?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The rigidity of Larry in the beginning of the story strikes a reader as odd, though perhaps just something that is inherent to his temperament.

Part 1: Why do you think Larry is so rigid about his schedule?

Part 2: Why are Larry's daughters keen to helping Larry adhere to his rigid schedule?

Part 3: What happens when Larry's schedule is not followed? Does this mean his schedule was to blame or some other factor?

Essay Topic 2

At times, it seems the author is not revealing a lot about some characters, which causes those characters to be more mysterious and more difficult to understand.

Part 1: Why do you think the author felt it was so important to focus on the lives of Ginny and Rose?

Part 2: Why do you think Caroline was ignored a bit as a character in the story?

Part 3: What is the value of not revealing everything about a character in a novel?

Essay Topic 3

Many of the characters have their moments of seeming to be normal and well-adjusted and even happy, but at other times, these are simply guises under which they hide.

Part 1: Why do you think so many characters hide their true feelings in this story?

Part 2: What does it say about the author's own ability to trust people at face value?

Part 3: How might the story have been different had the characters simply acted in an honest and authentic way?

(see the answer keys)

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