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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. Faith writes a letter to her mother announcing she has gotten a degree in what?

2. When Reni, Merit's oldest, is __________ Eric shows up.

3. Julia refuses to speak to Kari for how long?

4. Mr. Paradise proposes to Merit when he discovers that she is what?

5. Merit has taken a job working where?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Kari finally tell Julia the truth and what happens, as a result?

2. How does Faith initially react to hearing that Beau is gay and that Shelby is a man?

3. Do you think that Faith handled Beau well, when Beau was crying in his room?

4. What unusual turn does the book club meeting take, when Slip hosts it?

5. How does Faith actually feel about Beau's secret?

6. Do you feel that it was right for Kari to be so attached to her dog and so upset that it died?

7. Was the accident that killed Faith's mother Faith's fault?

8. Julia and Kari don't speak for over a year. What finally causes them to reconcile?

9. How does Merit feel about the man who watches her in the library?

10. How is Slip's illness reminiscent of the opening of the book and what could it mean in reference to the beginning of the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fred and Slip are on opposite sides of the war issue, even though they are brother and sister. Fred enlists and Slip goes to anti-war rallies. Which one of them do you side with, as far as war goes, and why? Use several examples from both the book and real life wars to back up your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Eric abuses Merit throughout the book. His abuse eventually results in a divorce and, ultimately, Merit hits him when they meet up again at their daughter's college graduation.

Part 1. Why was Eric abusive towards Merit?

Part 2. Why did Merit take Eric's abuse for as long as she did?

Part 3. Choose two conflicts between Merit and Eric and describe alternative ways that Eric and Merit could have resolved the conflict.

Essay Topic 3

Kari takes some heat when she adopts Julia because Julia is of mixed race. Using at least three hundred words, describe your thoughts about Julia's race and about race in general. For example, do you feel that any race is inferior to any other race? Why or why not? Also, how would you handle the harassment from others, if you were Julia or Kari?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,102 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample