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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 Julia as a child?

2. Who is Roger's mother?

3. How does Ellen say her father dies?

4. Why do Betsy and Nadine start fighting over their mother's death?

5. What does Ellen tell her hostess she is doing while at her residence after her grandmother's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Ellen feel that Starletta only likes Tom for his money?

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

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

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

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

6. Using details from the text, describe how Ellen spends her time at Nadine's house.

7. How does Ellen celebrate her 11th birthday?

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

9. In Chapter 11, Ellen tells the reader that her grandmother passed away. Ellen feels that in her death her grandmother left "the score two to one". What score is Ellen referring to and why does Ellen make this statement?

10. How do Nadine and Betsy react to their mother's death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

List and discuss several ways that Ellen's character evolved throughout the novel.

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Throughout the story Ellen is neglected by her father. Write a description of how her father neglected her and the effects of the neglect on Ellen's life.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 568 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample