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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. How does Mikey react to Lydia when he senses that she is angry with him when she returns from the hospital?

2. Why does Silas call Alec after returning home from the hospital?

3. What is the name of Kate's current girlfriend?

4. Who told Lydia about Silas's affair with an MK officer?

5. What color eyes does Du Boise have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the truth behind Mikey's parentage?

2. Why does Silas phone Alec, and what is he suddenly suspicious of him?

3. How does Mikey react to having to go to the hospital to visit with his mother?

4. How did Mikey come to contact his sister after she was sent away?

5. What event does Lydia admit to Silas when she hears that Du Boise is back in town?

6. What memories does Silas have of his father, and his father dying?

7. What is "Playing Gandhi"?

8. How did Lydia find out about Silas's affair?

9. How does the Ali family react to Silas's seizure?

10. When Silas returns from the hospital, where he attempted to pick up Lydia, what fears is he suddenly seized with?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Silas's fiftieth birthday party proves to be the moment when the entire Ali family realizes that their bonds have completely disintegrated. Explain the events of the night of Silas's birthday party, and the reactions that each family member, Silas, Lydia, and Mikey, has to each of these events, and how they know their family never will be the same again.

Essay Topic 2

One of the biggest acts of betrayal in this novel is the way that Alec betrays his friendship with Silas and keeps a dark secret from him for almost twenty years. Explain what secret Alec is keeping from Silas, and what lengths he goes to in order to ensure that the secret would never come out. Then, explain why Alec finally decides to tell Silas, and how this admittance affected their relationship.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 997 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample