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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 Annie when she runs down the street, trying to fly?

2. What famous park is Annie forbidden from visiting by her father?

3. During which season of the year do Annie and her sisters move in with their grandparents?

4. When the business man sees Annie trying to fly, how does he react?

5. After returning from the Mississippi, where does Annie's father find a job?

Short Essay Questions

1. What realizations about consciousness does Annie Dillard make while struggling with bouts of insomnia as a child?

2. Why does Annie Dillard's father leave home for a few months when she is a small girl, and what brings him back?

3. How does Annie feel about the boys she takes dance lessons with in school?

4. What fascinates Annie most about the library books she checks out?

5. How does Annie react to each of her sisters when they were born?

6. How does Annie Dillard describe Pittsburgh in the 18th century?

7. Why isn't Annie allowed to play with the Sheehy children?

8. How do Annie's parents feel about jokes in the home?

9. What is Oma's greatest desire for her family?

10. How does the Dillard family react when a tornado comes roaring through their neighborhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Annie is visiting the Smokey Islands with her father, she is introduced to the locking system of the rivers. First, explain the function of the locking systems in rivers. Then, describe Annie's reaction to the locking systems, and how the knowledge of these systems altered her relationship with Father forever.

Essay Topic 2

As a child, Annie collected many things. Give at least two examples of elaborate collections Annie created in her childhood, and what those collections meant to her. Then, explain how her childhood collections may have led Annie to a life of writing as an adult.

Essay Topic 3

Annie frequently parallels her own intelligence with her mother's. First, explain how Annie describes her own intelligence. Then explain how Annie describes her mother's intelligence. Why do you think Annie makes this constant parallel? What part of her identity is Annie attempting to forge through this comparison?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 873 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample