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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 does Sita use on her forehead to prevent wrinkles?

2. What day does Sita hate?

3. Who breaks the tree in "The Branch"?

4. What is the name of the aunt mentioned in "The Branch"?

5. What is the name of the mother of Karl and Mary?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Argus, as pictured in "The Branch."

2. Why does Russell Kashpaw dislike Karl?

3. In chapter 7, why does Wallace Pfef want to see Mary?

4. What does Karl fantasize about his mother in chapter 3? Why?

5. Describe Fleur Pillager, her possessions, and her job.

6. How does the empty jewel box in chapter 1 shape Mary's character?

7. Describe Celestine's appearance, as related in chapter 2.

8. Explain the relationship between Mr. Ober and Mary's family, as well as the effects his death has on them.

9. Describe the appearance of Omar and Adelaide at the end of chapter 3.

10. Why does Karl run back to the train at the end of "The Branch"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the author's use of flashbacks throughout the novel fill in the reader's sense of the characters' history? Choose one character and discuss his or her life prior to the novel, as expressed in flashbacks, and then explain how this method of conveying history is helpful or unhelpful to the reader.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the differences in the author's writing style between when she is emphasizing setting and when she is emphasizing plot.

Essay Topic 3

What role does the sugar beet play in the novel, both as a symbol and as a plot device? Explain.

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