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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. Which of the following best describes Pittsburgh when it first sprung up as a settlement?

2. Which of the following is NOT a name of one of the Dillard girls?

3. How does Annie feel when she is approached by homeless people in the park?

4. What is the Lambert family, of Somerset township, famous for?

5. Which of the following Bible verses had a profound effect on Annie's childhood?

Short Essay Questions

1. What stark winter memory does Annie have regarding Jo Anne Sheehy?

2. How does Annie feel about the Catholic religion as a child?

3. How does Annie react when her mother forced her to greet the neighborhood nuns?

4. What is Father's role in the film "Night of the Living Dead"?

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

6. How does Father react when Annie digs up an old coin in the alleyway near their home?

7. How was the city of Pittsburgh founded?

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

9. What happened when Annie is caught throwing snowballs at a car?

10. As she is drawing, what realization does Annie come to about the way children view the world?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oma is a character who had deep impacts on Annie's life and her understanding of women. First, explain Annie's relationship to Oma as a child. Then, compare / contrast that to the relationship Annie had with Oma as a teenager. Why did Annie's relationship with Oma change so drastically, and what did Annie learn about the role of women through her relationship with Oma?

Essay Topic 2

When Annie Dillard published this memoir, she was over forty years old, but attempting to write in the voice of her childhood. Give one example of a scene in which Annie was writing in the voice of ten-year-old child, and one scene in which she was writing in the voice of an adult woman looking back. Do you think the balance between these voices was successful? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

As a child, Annie's first hobby is learning to draw. First, why Annie was inspired to start sketching and how her practice of drawing matured over time. Then, describe what Annie learned about her own consciousness and the space she fills in this world through drawing.

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This section contains 908 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample