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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. When Fix fails the bar exam the first time, what does Marjorie's mother fix for dinner?

2. In Chapter 3, how long do Beverly and the Cousins children wait at baggage claim before Beverly learns that they have no luggage?

3. In Chapter 3, what is Holly's grade in Reading?

4. Which of Bert and Teresa's kids always does homework?

5. At the beginning of Chapter 1, how many times has Fix opened the door in the last half hour before Cousins arrives?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does a mutual friend tell Teresa is Bert's reason for moving back to Virginia with Beverly?

2. Why is Leon Posen staying in Iowa City in Chapter 4?

3. Why does Cousins decide to attend the christening party in Chapter 1?

4. How did Wallis die?

5. Who is in the kitchen when Fix returns with ice in Chapter 1?

6. How did Lomer die?

7. Who is the nurse who gets Fix's chemotherapy started and what does she look like?

8. What is the room like where Fix has his chemotherapy?

9. In Chapter 3, where does Beverly go when her house is full of children and she cannot even go to her bedroom?

10. How much time does Bert petition to spend with his children and how does he get what he wants?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Cal dies while Beverly and the children are staying with Bert’s parents. What affect does the death have on the family and how does the death affect the Keating and Cousins families even years afterwards?

Essay Topic 2

Because of the divorce, the Cousins and Keating children spend most of their summers together. What type of relationship do the six children have, and why is Albie often on the outside when the older children do things together?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. The stories that the narrator tells follow different characters. How does the point of view affect how the stories are told and what readers know about characters and events?

(see the answer keys)

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