View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. After her grandmothers death, how does Ellen decide to treat her new residence?

2. What is the only question Ellen's grandmother asks Ellen on the drive to her house?

3. What one thing does Ellen not do for her mother?

4. Ellen has to go shopping for new clothes. What new item does she treasure the most?

5. Who is Julia?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 10 the reader is introduced to Ellen's naivety. Even though Ellen is wise beyond her years, what does Ellen think about the sharecroppers who work on her grandmother's farm?

2. Why does Ellen dread the day that Starletta 'forgot about her"?

3. Why do Ellen and Starletta keep a list?

4. Why didn't Dora want to tell Ellen about Dora and Nadine's usual Christmas ritual?

5. During Ellen's Christmas stay at Nadine's, what does Ellen hope for?

6. Why is Ellen worried about her grandmother dying?

7. Ellen's grandmother forces Ellen to go to work. Describe Ellen's job duties.

8. Using details from the text, describe Ellen and her grandmother's relationship.

9. Using detail from the text to support your answer, why does Ellen decide to treat Nadine's residence like a hotel?

10. How does Ellen express a lack of belonging throughout Chapters 1-8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In two instances of the story Ellen describes her Christmas celebrations. Compare and contrast the two occasions using details from the text as an aid.

Essay Topic 2

Using the text and class discussions as an aid describe some of Ellen's fears and how she overcame them.

Essay Topic 3

In class discussion, you learned about the literary elements of a climax. Using these discussions and the text, describe the climax in the story.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 606 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample