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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 is the profession of Marv Carlson, the man who ends up helping Larry Cook throughout the story?

2. Who does Ginny suddenly find to be quite charming, even though she hadn't thought this before?

3. What is the game the next generation at the farm begins to play which ends up taking about two weeks?

4. ___________ is currently cooking three meals a day for three households.

5. What does Jess show up with since Harold's freezer breaks down and this thing needs to stay cool?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Ginny describe the dimensions of her flat world as an 8-year-old in 1951?

4. What is Larry's response to the questions of Ginny and Ty after he is released from the hospital?

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

6. When Ty returns with the missing Larry, what does Larry have to say to Ginny in person?

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

8. What happened to Ginny's grandmother's grandparents find when they arrived in the United States from England?

9. What did Harold buy for himself without consulting Larry, which made Larry a bit upset?

10. When Pete mentions overhearing that Harold is going to be changing his will, how does Jess respond?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Larry is a character that the reader hates from the start, and yet, one cannot help but also feel some pity for him and for his situation.

Part 1: Do you think Larry is an inherently bad person? Why or why not?

Part 2: Had the girls' Mom not died, do you think Larry would have been a different person? Why or why not?

Part 3: Do you think Larry realizes just how awful he has been to his children? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

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 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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