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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 obstacle presents itself on the roads in Scotland?

2. Who does Ruby believe is her mother's favorite child?

3. What starts the Shop fire?

4. What kind of flowers do Patricia and Ruby leave for Pearl?

5. Who screams during the boat ride in Oban Bay?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Tom laugh when his hand is blown off?

2. What do Ruby and Patricia find at the old Shop?

3. What is Ruby's "reward" for her morning minding the pet Shop by herself?

4. What is the basic tenet of Ruby's Lost Property Cupboard theory of the afterlife?

5. What happens on Mothering Sunday?

6. How does Pearl die?

7. What happens to Rags during Chapter Nine?

8. What happens at the Chinese restaurant?

9. What prompts Ruby's decision to leave Gian-Carlo?

10. Why does Tom usually visit his sisters without his wife?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does grief play a role in shaping the characters in this novel? Please use at least three examples.

Essay Topic 2

In this novel, there are a lot of seeming coincidences. Choose three of these and discuss their importance to the story and why Atkinson chose to include them.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Ruby's Lost Property Cupboard theory of the afterlife.

(see the answer keys)

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