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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. Who offers to help Michael and Gina with baby Wanda?

2. How long before Wanda and Margaret meet does part 2 begin?

3. What language does Irma sing in prior to beginning dinner in chapter 21?

4. What gift does Striker find himself receiving most holidays while working at Aloha Lanes?

5. To what ceremony does Striker chose to wear the Hawaiian shirt Irma gave to him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Yeats and what does it stand for in Striker's life?

2. What does Striker see in the street in chapter 22? How does this make Striker feel?

3. What picture does Striker have of his wife and how does this connect him with Wanda Schultz?

4. What happens soon after the dinner Striker shares with Irma and her husband, Sammy?

5. How does the author draw parallels between Wanda Schultz and M.J. Striker in part two?

6. What car accident does Striker witness in chapter 22? How is this ironic?

7. How does the author draw parallels between Striker and Irma concerning their painful pasts?

8. What odd behaviors on the part of Gina Lorenzini does Michael O'Casey overlook due to his amorous feelings for her?

9. What character seems to tell Striker how he can pull Irma out of her depression in chapter 21?

10. How does Striker feel about religion, as the reader learns in chapter 21?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Wanda was adopted by her aunt and uncle. Examine this family. How does Wanda fit in with this surrogate family? How many siblings are there? Why does one of the children resent Wanda? How does Wanda feel about that? How did losing her parents impact Wanda? How has Wanda's past shaped her present? Why is Wanda so obsessed with her ex-lover? Why does Wanda believe the unsigned postcard is from her ex-lover?

Essay Topic 2

What happened to Margaret's mother? When did she die? Why does Margaret begin to see her mother? What role did her mother play in Margaret's life when she was a child? Now, as Margaret is an adult? What does it say about Margaret's health that she is seeing dead people? What does it say about her state of mind? Why does Margaret see her mother? Why does she not see her father or others who have died in her life?

Essay Topic 3

What is the star? How has it changed Margaret's life? When does it begin to grow? Who does Margaret begin to see as the star begins to grow? How does Wanda react to news of Margaret's illness? How does Margaret feel about Wanda's reaction? How long does Margaret live after the star begins to grow? What happens to her house and her roommates after her death?

(see the answer keys)

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