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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 excuse does Marguerite give Dolly when she slips out of the house Christmas Eve?

2. What favorite memory of her grandmother at Christmas does Marguerite have?

3. What is a reel?

4. What type of dress that Abby is making does she show Marguerite on her visit in part 4?

5. Why does Marguerite tell the children people in France and England dance the Maypole?

Short Essay Questions

1. What warning is stated in the final chorus of the song Aunt Hespa sings once more during the corn shelling?

2. How does Marguerite react to the arrival of the Indians after returning the children safely to the house?

3. How do the Sargents friends and neighbors react when Marguerite dances a French dance?

4. What does Joel tell Dolly about their sources of meat now that the cow and most of the chickens are gone?

5. How is Joel Sargent injured in Part 4? How bad is the injury?

6. What does Marguerite go out into the fog to gather in Part 4? What happens when she does?

7. What type of gathering do the Jordans have shortly after Timothy Welles and Ethan Jordan return from Portsmouth?

8. Why does Ira take Marguerite on his first visit to see Abby Welles after the long winter? What does Abby give to Marguerite?

9. What do the Sargents do to the sugar maple trees that makes Marguerite fear for their survival?

10. What arrives in the channel to cause a great deal of excitement on Sargent's Point? What do they want?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why is Marguerite saddened that the Sargents do not celebrate Christmas? Why don't they celebrate Christmas? How does Marguerite have her own private celebration? What does she do? Where does she do it? What does she think about as she celebrates? What gifts does she want to give to the children? Who does she run into during her private celebration? What does this person tell her? How does Marguerite feel about meeting this person? What does she give him? Why does she not tell anyone about this encounter?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Joel Sargent? Why has he sold everything he owns for a farm on the coast of Maine? What does Joel hope he can do with a farm? Does he? What does Joel find when he arrives at the farm? Why does Joel not allow his neighbors to talk him out of living somewhere else, such as one of the empty islands in the channel? Why does Joel insist on working his own farm that he paid for? What does this say about his character? How does Joel treat his children? How does he treat Marguerite? Why does Joel offer to send Marguerite away at the end of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

What is unusual about the winter weather the first winter the Sargents are on their farm? What does winter weather prevent? What change in sleeping habits does the cold weather force the family to make? How does Debby get burned? How does this impact the family? What does Marguerite do to try to save her? Does it work? How does Marguerite feel about Debby's injuries and subsequent death? How does Dolly react? What does this reaction say about Marguerite? About Dolly?

(see the answer keys)

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