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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 happened to the shaving strop?

2. Which of the children could be described using the term prissy?

3. What does Max tell Gertie she needs?

4. Which of the following is the medical procedure which Gertie performed on Amos?

5. What does Gertie enjoy imagining?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the doctor immediately realize that Amos has?

2. What does Gertie learn as she reads the letter from Clovis?

3. What is a problem with Gertie that is clearly defined in this chapter?

4. Describe Gertie's neighbor Sophronie Meanwell.

5. After the teachers tell Gertie not to worry about her children because they will adjust, what does Gertie wonder?

6. What happens right before Clovis leaves for his physical?

7. What is evident that both Clovis and Gertie share?

8. Why does Gertie decide to take Cassie with her to her parent's house?

9. What does Reuben hope to see in Gertie as she talks to her mother about her dreams?

10. How does the author let the reader know that the car is something the townspeople fear?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay describing the relationship between Gertie and her husband. Be sure to describe how the relationship changes throughout the novel in specific details.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on how the ending of the book might have been different had Cassie not been killed by the train. Use events in the text as a guide for your writing of what might have happened.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay on the concept that this novel reflects on the idea of the American Dream. Use specific examples from the text to support your essay.

(see the answer keys)

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