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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. ___________ discovers the remnants of the fifth miscarriage buried in the old dairy barn being converted for the hog operation.

2. __________ cooks for the crew and is thanked for the home-cooked meal as a result.

3. The autopsy of Pete shows that his _____________ was high enough to preclude consciousness, making it debatable that he drove in accidentally.

4. To Ginny, the sound of __________ is something oracular, telling her what she should do with her life at this point.

5. The sorting of possession happens in the cold as _________ doesn't believe ventilation prevents kerosene heater fatalities.

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How is it shown that Ty is the better farmer of all of his neighbors and their farms?

3. What does Mr. Cartier tell Ginny and Rose, Pete and Ty to do in order to keep up with their case?

4. What did Pete tell Rose the week before when she told him about her affair with Jess?

5. How does Ginny describe the way she is feeling after the midnight conversation with Rose?

6. What does Ginny do between shifts at her new job as a waitress?

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

8. What is the status of Harold's eyes after his accident with the ammonia?

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

10. How did Ginny cover for Caroline when they were younger, Caroline being 14 and Ginny being 22?

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 acres of the farm are obviously affecting the way the family interacts with each other. As the acres grow, the family becomes more volatile.

Part 1: How do you think the story might have changed had the acres been fewer in number?

Part 2: How do you think the story might have changed if Larry had simply kept all of the land for himself?

Part 3: Why do you think Larry decided to split up his land among different people?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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