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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. How old is Ted in Chapter 16?

2. In Chapter 12, what type of cookies does Mary remember Melissa Richardson baking for Alyssa's first Christmas?

3. At the end of Chapter 11, where does Melissa put out her cigarette?

4. How old did Melissa tell a detective that Mary was when she figured out what Dawn owed on bills?

5. Who does Mary visit at the end of Chapter 16?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens to Ms. Reba's cat in Chapter 10?

2. In Chapter 12, who does Mary see as she goes to Cora's house for Christmas?

3. What does Sarah say about her mother's death?

4. What does Sarah say about her parents in Chapter 9 and what it was like at her home?

5. What does Mary learn about Ms. Stein in Chapter 13?

6. In Chapter 15, what happens when Mary tries to leave the group home to meet Ted?

7. Why does Mary not get to take the SAT test in Chapter 14?

8. Why does Mary get upset after reading the paper in Chapter 15?

9. In Chapter 15, what does Mary think when she learns that Dawn is not her mother?

10. In Chapter 13, what do Michel Rabinovitch and Cora Fisher say about Mary's mental health?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Melissa Richardson met Dawn and Mary at church. How did their relationship develop? How did it change after the baby died and why?

Essay Topic 2

Some of the characters are from terrible backgrounds. What shaped some of the character’s lives, and how were the products of their environment, especially Mary and the girls at the group home?

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in the novel? What is the importance of these flat characters to the story line? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

(see the answer keys)

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