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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 did Brenda's mother do to her one day when brushing Brenda's hair?

2. Why did Diane turn into a problem child at school?

3. To what state did Diane move during her childhood?

4. Who molested Barbara when she was a girl?

5. Bonnie was sentenced to _________ years in prison.

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Barbara say that prison changed her--for both good and bad?

2. When did Brenda Medina realize what her mother's terrible secret was?

3. How did Bonnie's role at the prison change from when she was a new inmate to the present day?

4. What did Robin note about the less than spiritual activities going on during mass?

5. What was the Christmas basket program in prison?

6. What was Diane's instinct when viewing her father's dead body?

7. How did Robin Cullen begin her story, "Christmas in Prison" with a religious focus regarding the pope?

8. How difficult was it for Bonnie to stay true to her religious practices while in prison?

9. What is the significance of the chapter, "Dancing in Leg Chains"?

10. What effect did Barbara think that her incarceration had on her children?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Loss seems to be almost an unnamed character in the book. How pervasive is the sense of loss for the women? Why does it have such a prevalent place in the women's lives? Explain how an inanimate object or characteristic can be a character.

Essay Topic 2

A few of the women are very forthcoming about their premarital sexual relations and some abortions. Why did those women make those decisions that they did? What would the women advise young women today regarding such important life decisions? Would the women make the same choices today if they had to do it all over again? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

The theme of struggling with personal identity is an important one in this book. Describe how it extends through setting, characters and issues and provide examples for each.

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This section contains 959 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample