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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. Where did the Beck family go the summer before they returned to their home on the East Coast?

2. Where does John have to fly to every few weeks for his job in order to support the family?

3. How old was the girl that pulled out of daycare at the last minute, one of many happy coincidences for the Becks?

4. What does Martha believe is important at the school where she is attending to attain her PhD?

5. What did Martha go into town to get when she had the incident with the moose?

Short Essay Questions

1. What made Martha and John nervous about the consulting job that John took?

2. Why didn't Martha want anyone to know at Harvard about the pregnancy she just discovered?

3. What act of generosity moved Martha when she came up to the ambulance to have someone check her baby?

4. What happened when John arrives at his work location and calls to check on Martha and Katie?

5. What was the sign that Martha sees from another student, helping her realize she is not the only one faking her way through school?

6. What happened right when John leaves for his next trip for his consulting job, so he doesn't know this has happened?

7. What did Martha and John plan to do when they were on a Christmas holiday from Harvard?

8. How did Martha find out that she might not have been rescued as she thought she had?

9. What happened to Martha when she is going down the stairwell during the emergency?

10. What was the story that Deirdre shares that is surprising like Martha's?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

During the fire, Martha feels that she is being rescued from the fire, though she never sees a rescuer when she leaves.

Part 1: What do you think happened to Martha when she was pushed from the building?

Part 2: Do you think that a person actually helped Martha?

Part 3: How do you explain the experience that Martha had? Ghosts? Angels? Luck?

Essay Topic 2

Though it is a holiday, John and Martha continue to work on their degrees while arguing about the holidays.

Part 1: Why do you think the holidays are a time of problems for many families?

Part 2: Do you think the Becks should have simply taken time to relax?

Part 3: What do you normally do when you are on vacation from school?

Essay Topic 3

Martha can not understand why Deirdre would want to stay with a man who was cruel to her.

Part 1: Why do you think Deirdre decided to stay with a person who was cruel to her?

Part 2: Would you want to stay with a person who was cruel to her?

Part 3: Make an argument for a person to stay with someone who is mean to them, whether it's physical or mental abuse.

(see the answer keys)

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