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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 is Bounce's job?

2. Who is the head of the family living near Janey's family?

3. How long has Janey's family lived in the shack at the beginning of Chapter 3?

4. The family living nearby Janey's family is of what nationality?

5. Who appears at the Larkins' shack at the beginning of Chapter 4?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the nickel such a big thing for Mom to give to Janey?

2. What is Bounce's secretive behavior about the rent and why does Janey not like him?

3. What does Mom give to Janey to take to the fair?

4. What does Mom say at the riverbank that surprises Janey for its poetry?

5. Why is Janey jealous of Lupe?

6. What is Bounce's role on the ranch and what authority does he say he has regarding rent?

7. How old is Janey Larkin and what is she doing as the novel begins?

8. What is the significance of the nickel in terms of how Mom feels for Janey's good fortune?

9. Who is Bounce Reyburn and how do the Larkins encounter him?

10. How does the author use foreshadowing regarding the willow plate in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Mr. Anderson. What is his role in the story? What was the author trying to accomplish by developing Mr. Anderson's character in the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Explain the role of women in America during the Great Depression. What precedents do these women feel compelled to follow? What restrictions do they have? What freedoms did they have that 21st century women do not have? How were their lives significantly more difficult than the lives of 21st century women?

Essay Topic 3

The author used more than one iteration on the theme of loss. Identify at least two examples about loss in the book and then explain why the examples support the theme.

(see the answer keys)

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