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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 action made the clams spit, i.e. make holes in the sand that revealed where they were?

2. Which of the following people were not guests Joan invited to her husband's party?

3. How did Joan think the seals had influenced her life?

4. How much money was a basket of clams worth?

5. While riding her bicycle in Chapter 14, Safe Harbor, with whom did Joan wonder if she could ever share a bike ride?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was ironic about how Joan felt once she arrived on the seal island in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty?

2. Who did Joan Erikson send to stay with Joan and how did Joan feel about having these guests?

3. What did Joan give her husband for his retirement, and what did her gift symbolize?

4. How did Joan's family spend Memorial Day weekend in Chapter 13, Treading Water, and how did Joan make this holiday different than previous holidays?

5. How did Joan initially feel about letting people into her home, and how did she feel about having guests at the end of Chapter 11, Ebb and Flow?

6. How did the friendship between Joan Anderson and Joan Erikson develop in Chapter 10, Seal Woman?

7. How did Joshua Cahoon help Joan learn clamming?

8. To where did Joan ride her bike in Chapter 14, Safe Harbor, and how did she like the experience?

9. What evidence was there in Chapter 16, Port of Call, that Joan had grown during her year in Cape Cod?

10. How did a sign in front of the Methodist Church make Joan reflect upon her marriage?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Joan Anderson's technique of using epigraphs to introduce each chapter in "A Year by the Sea." How did the epigraphs relate to the titles of each chapter? How did the epigraphs relate to the content of each chapter? How did the epigraphs relate to Joan and her life?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the changes and growth in Joan's husband during his wife's year at Cape Cod. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the changes and growth in Joan during her year at Cape Cod. Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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