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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. At the end of Chapter 14, Safe Harbor, who did Joan realize was planning to live with her in the cottage?

2. How had Joan spent Labor Days prior to her year alone by the sea?

3. What did Joan decide at the end of her month of increased socializing in Chapter 11, Ebb and Flow?

4. In Chapter 16, Port of Call, to what did Joan equate Labor Day at the fish market?

5. How many buckets of clams did Joan set as her goal for her first day of clamming?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Chapter 12, Low Tide, how did reflecting upon the women in her family inspire Joan?

3. What did Joan take with her to the seal island in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty, and how did what she took on this trip show her growth since her initial trip to the island?

4. When Joan's husband mentioned retirement at the beginning of Chapter 14, Safe Harbor, how did his idea of retirement differ from Joan's?

5. What symbolism did Joan see in the sandbar?

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

7. What did Joan Anderson expect to learn from the psychoanalyst, and what did Joan Erikson tell her when she didn't learn what she expected?

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

9. Describe the retirement party Joan gave for her husband and how pleased her husband was with it.

10. Why did Joan's nephew send guests to stay with Joan, and how did Joan feel about being part of her nephew's project?

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 Joan Anderson's use of figurative language in "A Year by the Sea" as well as her other narrative techniques. Cite examples from the text to support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

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?

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