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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. In Chapter 6, how many years older is Leo than Franny?

2. In Chapter 6, where is the man who cleans the swimming pool from?

3. Which of the boys from the "Goddam Boys on Bikes" left a window open at their high school?

4. In Chapter 8, how long ago did Holly go to Switzerland?

5. In Chapter 6, how old are Eric and Marisol?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Leo rent a house for the summer in Chapter 6?

2. How does Jeannette describe Albie in Chapter 5?

3. Who was Ernestine and what happened to her?

4. In Chapter 8, what are Teresa's reasons for retiring?

5. What does Franny's mother tell her to make for dinner in Chapter 6?

6. Did Teresa date or marry after her divorce from Bert?

7. In Chapter 6, what is Caroline doing?

8. Where did The Cousins children live after Cal died?

9. In Chapter 5, what does Holly tell her mother about Cal's death?

10. How does Teresa feel after her flight to Switzerland in Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The mood in the novel shifts as different stories are told. How does the author create mood in the novel and how does mood change from chapter to chapter? Does the book have an overall mood?

Essay Topic 2

The author does not tell the story chronologically. How does the author’s choice to use a non-linear structure influence the plot and how the story develops?

Essay Topic 3

The author tells the stories with simple language. Characters who use simple language and who are less sophisticated seem to be portrayed by the author as more reliable. How does the way that the author uses simple language to portray characters make some characters seem more honest and trustworthy and others to seem to be dishonest and untrustworthy?

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