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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. On what did men sit while drinking coffee outside the general store?

2. Although Joan missed her sons after they left the cottage once Memorial Day ended, what did she look forward to regaining?

3. How long did Joan spend alone on the island with the seals in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty?

4. Under what conditions did Joan decide she could let her husband return home?

5. Why did Joan want to be alone on the seal island in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 15, Wild and Salty, how did Joan feel about letting her husband move back in with her after he retired and where did she go to think over the prospect?

2. What was the Cape Cod general store like, and what did being there help Joan decide about her stay in the community?

3. Who did Joan ask for money to replace her broken hot water heater, and what was his response?

4. How did Joshua Cahoon help Joan learn clamming?

5. Did Joan and her husband seem happier or more unhappy at the end of their year-long separation, and did they decide to divorce or reunite?

6. What spiritual lesson did Joan learn from clamming?

7. What gift did Joan's boss at the fish market give her, and what did the gift indicate about his acceptance of Joan in the Cape Cod community?

8. What evidence in Chapter 16, Port of Call, indicated that Joan's husband had grown and changed during their separation?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The subtitle of "A Year by the Sea" is "Thoughts of An Unfinished Woman." Discuss why you think Joan chose this title. How did she depict herself as being unfinished in the book? Was she "finished" by the end, or was she still "unfinished" at the book's end? Did her definition of unfinished change during the course of the book? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the depiction of gender roles in "A Year by the Sea." What characteristics and roles were ascribed to women in the book? What characteristics and roles were ascribed to men in the book? Did the men in the fishing community of Cape Cod treat the women as equals, or did they try to dominate them? Did Joan's husband treat Joan as an equal prior to their year-long separation, or did he try to dominate her? Cite at least three examples from the text to support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the metaphor of the sea and the tide in "A Year by the Sea." How did each phase of the tide relate to Joan and her life? Cite examples from the text to support your conclusions.

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