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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 song does J sing to the cat and dog?

2. Who was stabbed and killed at age 17 in 1983 at Alexandra's high school?

3. What does Alexandra's father call J?

4. What is a major defining feature of Ithaca?

5. What writer does Chang quote at the beginning of Part III?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Alexandra's mother feel about her father continuing to call her?

2. What offer does Tim make to Alexandra in Part III?

3. What is Alexandra's first impression of Ithaca like?

4. What does Alexandra's mother tell her about Wendi Deng?

5. What happens after Alexandra gets a dog in Ithaca, related to how people treat her?

6. What kind of research does Alexandra start doing in Part III?

7. What new job does Alexandra get in Part III?

8. What kind of advice does Alexandra ask her sister for?

9. What does Alexandra think is different about the way people in Ithaca give directions?

10. What does a former colleague of Alexandra's ask her to do that she does not want to do in Part IV?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What stories from Alexandra's family resonate most strongly with her, and why? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why and how does Alexandra's request for a raise become such a contentious issue at the tech publication where she works? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

Essay Topic 3

Alexandra experiences conflicted feelings about her work at the tech publication in the early stages of this novel. Write an essay exploring Alexandra's feelings about her work in the beginning of the novel, citing specific references to the text to help support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 556 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample