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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. Who is Dora?

2. Who is Ellen's friend that attends the funeral?

3. Why does Ellen's mother's heart stop beating?

4. What is the pony's name that Ellen wants to ride?

5. Who does Ellen blame for her mother's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways has Ellen's mother's family shown that they do not care if Ellen is being neglected?

2. Why does Ellen feel that she is better off being a ward of the county rather than being in the custody of her father?

3. At the funeral, why does Ellen avoid looking at her mother's grave?

4. Why does Ellen feel that her relatives are phonies?

5. How is Ellen's former life and her new life an example of dualism?

6. In Chapter 1, Ellen contemplates killing someone. How does Ellen plan to kill this person and respond to the death if she actually goes through with it?

7. Why does Ellen have conflicting views about Starletta's family?

8. In what ways does the author indicate that Ellen's father killed Ellen's mother?

9. How does Ellen's grandmother cause a scene at the funeral?

10. In Chapter 2, how does Ellen hint at favoritism towards her mother's family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ellen describes her 11th birthday in detail in the text. Why is this birthday significant to Ellen and her journey to her new life? How does Ellen previously celebrate her birthdays?

Essay Topic 2

An underlining theme throughout the novel was death. Several people in Ellen's life died, and metaphorically Ellen herself died and had a rebirth. Using details from the text describe how the topic of death was a central theme throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 3

In several instances in the text, Ellen tries to control the small things around her. Why does Ellen need to control these things?

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