View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did Nancy's father take her at the beginning of her story?
(a) The circus.
(b) The beach.
(c) A library.
(d) An airplane flight.

2. "Wind, Sand, and Stars" was written by which author?
(a) Dante Alighieri.
(b) Sir Thomas More.
(c) Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
(d) Gianni Agnelli.

3. Who was the prisoner who read two pages of her life story which encouraged the other women to do the same?
(a) Diane Bartholomew.
(b) Denise Barlow.
(c) Darlene Branson.
(d) Dana Benjamin.

4. Where did Nancy's parents send her after they bailed her out after her arrest in October of 1989?
(a) Substance abuse treatment center.
(b) Home.
(c) Her aunt's house.
(d) A boarding school.

5. How old was Nancy at the beginning of her story?
(a) 6.
(b) 21.
(c) 13.
(d) 9.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following did Tabatha NOT do while in prison to rediscover herself?

2. What was Nancy's temp job assignment?

3. Tabatha's mother beat her ______________________.

4. How long had Nancy spent in prison?

5. What did Carolyn note outside the window as she was waiting to be processed at the Department of Corrections?

Short Essay Questions

1. What changes did Wally see in the women as they wrote their stories?

2. When did Wally Lamb know that he wanted to be a teacher, and in which type of students was he particularly interested?

3. Who was Isadore Weintraub, and what role did he play in Nancy's life?

4. What were the circumstances of Nancy's arrest and where did she go after her parents bailed her out?

5. Who was Aldo and what influence did he have on Nancy's life?

6. How had Wally become a well-known author in America?

7. What did Carolyn focus on outside while waiting to be processed into the Department of Corrections?

8. Describe Carolyn's initial perceptions of prison life and what humiliations did she endure?

9. Why did Carolyn think that she was so out of place in the holding cell, and how long did it take before she was convicted?

10. Which animals from a classic movie haunted Nancy Birkla's childhood?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,036 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample