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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 did Joan think the task of an unfinished woman was?

2. What did Joan Erickson's cousin do for a living?

3. What did Joan Erikson say in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty, would be giving away some of Joan's strength?

4. In Chapter 15, Wild and Salty, what did Joan tell Joan Erikson she would miss if she reunited with her husband?

5. What did Joan discover that her sons' wives wanted after their marriages?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. 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?

6. What spiritual lesson did Joan learn from clamming?

7. What truths about her life were revealed to Joan during her trip to the seal island in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty?

8. 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?

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. How did Joan's acceptance of her body change in Chapter 15, Wild and Salty?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

Compare and contrast Joan's husband with Joshua Cahoon. What did each man represent to Joan? What aspects of herself did each man reflect back to Joan? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

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