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

2. What is the plant Ginny decides to use in order to help poison Rose so that she can finally escape the farm?

3. __________ was always patient and good humored, always moving slowly forward.

4. Pete gets drunk and drives over to threaten ________ and then drives off into the quarry where he actually drowns.

5. The farm's ultimate legacy was $34,000 in debt that was owed to __________ after the death of Larry.

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. Why do Ginny and Caroline go about dividing possessions in the cold as it is late November?

5. Who takes care of the funeral arrangements for Pete, since Harold and Larry are not present?

6. What happened to Rose's old home when the farm sale occurred in the springtime?

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

8. What does Rose want Ginny to do for her daughters, Pammy and Linda, that night instead of taking them back with Ginny?

9. What does Ginny do in order to attempt to poison her sister, Rose?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The role of the family in this book is a complicated one, however, that could be said for all families in some respect.

Part 1: How do you think family is defined in this story? What makes up a family?

Part 2: Are there any characters in this story who support a healthy family relationship? Who? Why? If not, why not?

Part 3: Do you think the family could have changed their unhealthy ways? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

At times, it seems the story is being told from the perspective of someone who is a passionate feminist. While there's nothing wrong with this, it does seem to color the descriptions of the other characters.

Part 1: How does Ginny's perspective on women's rights affect the way she tells the story?

Part 2: How might the story have be told had Ginny had a more balanced view of women's vs. men's rights?

Part 3: Is it fair for an author to allow his/her characters to tell a story from a biased standpoint? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Rose seems to have a very simple way of dealing with the abuse of her father, but Ginny wants to go deeper with the explanation.

Part 1: What do you think of Rose's explanation that Larry did what he did because he could?

Part 2: What do you think of Ginny's quest to learn more about Larry's motivations to abuse them?

Part 3: Do you think Rose can ever come to peace with her past in the limited explanation she has accepted? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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