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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. Whom does Silas call for emergency help when he sees that his wife is injured?

2. To which of the following does Mikey compare his childhood relationship to his mother?

3. How does Lydia react to the broken glass on her porch?

4. What military rank does Du Boise hold?

5. What is the name of the woman that Silas had an affair with?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Silas react to seeing Lydia's injuries after she steps on the broken glass?

2. As an adult looking back, how does Mikey describe his relationship with his mother as a child?

3. How does Lydia react to the news that Mikey has not come to visit with her at the hospital?

4. What does Silas think about as he is driving home from the hospital after refusing medical care?

5. What is Mikey's reaction to reading that he is the product of a rape in his mother's diary?

6. How does Mikey come to find himself in possession of his mother's diary?

7. How does Silas react to the news that Du Boise is back in town?

8. Why do Kate Jessup and Julian Solomon come to stay at the Ali household?

9. Why does Kate begin to grow suspicious of her secret meetings with Mikey?

10. Why does Lydia have to stay as long as she does in the hospital, and how does she pass her days there?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The marriage between Silas and Lydia is marked by infidelities. Create a timeline of infidelities committed by both Silas and Lydia, and explain what effect these infidelities had on their marriage. Then, explain why the two decide to stay together when it is obvious they no longer love each other.

Essay Topic 2

At the end of the novel, both Lydia and Michael have left their hometown to relocate from their memories of Du Boise. Explain why each of these characters has chosen a life on the run, rather than a settled life. Then, explain what measures each character takes to ensure that Silas will never be able to find them.

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the novel, Silas's two work friends, Kate and Julian, have a large effect on the problems that happen in the Ali family. Briefly describe both Kate and Julian's characters as well as their relationships to Silas. Then, give one example for the ways each of these characters irrevocably change the relationships in the Ali family, leading toward their inevitable demise.

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