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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what city does Grandfather Nye live?
(a) Duluth, Minnesota.
(b) Cincinnati, Ohio.
(c) Atlanta, Georgia.
(d) Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.

2. What mood does Uncle Joab's poetry create in Vanessa?
(a) Invigoration.
(b) Uplifted.
(c) Joy.
(d) Melancholy.

3. What does Vanessa call Grandmother Nye, Nathaniel, Joab and Great Grandmother Vanessa?
(a) Her spirited relatives.
(b) The dearly departed.
(c) The spooks.
(d) The dead of the house.

4. Who is the narrator of the story?
(a) Veronica Nye.
(b) Vanessa Niley.
(c) Vanessa Nyberg.
(d) Vanessa Nye.

5. How can Grandpa Nye's lawn be described?
(a) Small.
(b) Manicured.
(c) Wild.
(d) Unpretentious.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is the author of THE DEAD OF THE HOUSE?

2. From what country do Vanessa's ancestors come?

3. How far back does Vanessa share her family lineage?

4. What does Vanessa share with the reader at the beginning of the story?

5. Vanessa's only recollection of Grandmother Nye is seeing her ____________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the origination of Grandpa Nye's father's family?

2. How does Grandpa Nye try to keep the family alive throughout the house?

3. Why is Vanessa at odds with her mother and sister?

4. How does Grandpa Nye help the girls to appreciate the historic trail they will take on the way to Michigan?

5. Describe the cat figurine collection at Grandpa Nye's house.

6. How does the Nye family avoid the unpleasantness of Grandpa Nye's imminent death?

7. Where did Grandpa Nye attend college?

8. How does the novel get its title?

9. How does Vanessa begin the story?

10. How did Grandpa Nye's family happen to end up in Cincinnati?

(see the answer keys)

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