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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 is the name of the McCobbs’ son?

2. What was the name of Maggot’s mother?

3. What song do Demon and Barks sing together?

4. What is the subject of Demon’s fifth-grade history class?

5. What make of car do the McCobb’s drive?

Short Essay Questions

1. What gift does June get Demon the Christmas after his mother dies?

2. In the novel, what is a joree bath?

3. Why does Mr. Golly make much of handing people food?

4. How do the McCobbs know Demon pilfers food?

5. How does Demon react to his mother telling him he is her reason for getting sober?

6. Why does Demon not remember many of his caseworkers’ names?

7. Why does Demon not eat in the hospital when his mother is hospitalized?

8. What symptoms of nicotine poisoning does Demon display?

9. Why does the narrator note he was unlikely to survive birth?

10. How does Maggot get his nickname?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Much is made of the connection between Kingsolver’s novel and the work of Charles Dickens. In what ways does Kingsolver echo Dickens in the present novel? Does it improve or hinder the reading that she does or does not? How so?

Essay Topic 2

The lengths of chapters influence reading. What pattern of chapter-length is present in the novel, if any? What effect does the length of chapters have on the reading? How is the effect achieved?

Essay Topic 3

A lack of formal sectional division in the novel obliges a fairly arbitrary breakdown of the text for purposes of study and discussion. On what grounds might the current divisions be in place? Why and how are they appropriate to the text?

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This section contains 554 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample