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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 was not present on the bedsheets after Ty and Ginny had consummated their relationship for the first time, even though they prepared for it to be there?

2. Ginny goes out to stand on one of the bolted drainage wells, listening to the eternal __________, then goes to the barn.

3. What can Ginny not find in the house and she finally gives up at 3 AM and finds another accommodation?

4. The court date has been set for _________ 19th, which is more than a month away at this point of the book.

5. Who calls after midnight wanting to talk, which causes the other person on the line to come over to talk?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Ty do when he's in town with Ginny at the Perkins Restaurant?

2. Why is Rose tempted to walk inside Chelsea, according to Rose as she speaks to Ginny?

3. What does Ginny do after asking Ty for $1000 and receiving that money from him?

4. What does Ty discover in the old dairy barn he's converting for the hog operation?

5. Where does Ginny decide to swim in order to clear her mind and to get away from others?

6. What does Ginny do when she slips out of bed as Ty is sleeping one night?

7. What does Ginny notice about 6 AM the morning after Pete's accident?

8. What does Rose's physician tell Ginny about the condition of Rose and about her prognosis?

9. What does Ginny believe is Rose's legacy to her daughters, Pammy and Linda?

10. What does Marv Carlson tell Ginny and Caroline they can do before the farm sale starts?

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

The idea of being a parent is one that is debated in this novel, with different versions of parenting being represented.

Part 1: How do you think motherhood is portrayed in this novel? Positively? Negatively?

Part 2: How do you think fatherhood is portrayed in this novel? Positively? Negatively?

Part 3: What do you think the author's feelings about parenting are?

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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