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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Joan have trouble finding something to wear to the fish market's Christmas party?
(a) There were no clothing stores in the town.
(b) She had brought only jeans to Cape Code.
(c) She didn't have money for a party outfit.
(d) She had gained weight and her clothes no longer fit her.

2. Why did Joan and her husband decide to spend Christmas together during their separation year?
(a) They wanted to make Joan's ailing mother happy.
(b) They missed each other.
(c) They wanted to make a show of unity for their children.
(d) Neither of them wanted to be alone.

3. How old was Joan Erickson when Joan met her?
(a) Eighty.
(b) Sixty-three.
(c) Seventy-five.
(d) Ninety-two.

4. Where was Joan's husband sent to live at age twelve?
(a) A boarding school in England.
(b) An Episcopalian boarding school.
(c) An orphanage.
(d) His grandparents' home in Kentucky.

5. Approximately how many other runners showed up with Joan to participate in the New Year's Day race?
(a) One hundred.
(b) Fifty.
(c) Two hundred.
(d) Eighty.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who told Joan she had everything she wanted for Christmas?

2. What victory did Joan think she had won when she reached the finish line of the race?

3. What did most people on the island think Joan was in town to do?

4. How long was Joan left alone on Seal Island?

5. How many Christmas cards did Joan send during her year alone at the cottage?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Joan think of the wealthy wives who came into the fish market and ordered expensive fish?

2. In Chapter 7, Silent Seas, Silent Nights, why did Joan mentally compare her marriage to several boats which had gotten frozen in place in the harbor?

3. How did Joan's husband respond to her day with the seals and what does his response indicate about their marriage?

4. How did Joan's personality differ from her husband's?

5. In Chapter 6, Waves of Truth, how did Joan feel about her sons' plans to spend Christmas with their wives' families instead of with Joan and her husband?

6. In Chapter 6, Waves of Truth, why did Joan get angry at the fish market customer who looked like Santa Claus?

7. What is ebb tide and how did Joan relate the concept of ebb tide to her own life?

8. What reflections did the seals give Joan on her body image?

9. Why did Joan and her husband decide to separate?

10. How did other people respond when they learned Joan was working at a fish market?

(see the answer keys)

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