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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 did some of the daycare centers in the Beck's area require that parents have in order to be admitted?

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

3. What thought melted from the mind of Martha as she heard the bells that rang like the ones at Boston Commons?

4. On what holiday do John and Martha bring dozens of books to study, according to her account in the book?

5. Why does John begin to panic after trying to call Martha at home?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the stroke of luck that Martha experienced in relation to the daycare situation?

2. What news did Martha find out from a nurse practitioner when she arrived back from the holidays?

3. Why did Martha decide to shop for larger clothing in New Hampshire at the start of this section?

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

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

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

7. What was the vivid dream that Martha has, causing her to ask for more testing on her child?

8. What were the two medical issues that John and Martha faced when he returned from his trip overseas?

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

10. What did Martha begin to think of when she saw her baby for the first time on the ultrasound?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The book itself is a memoir, told from the perspective of Martha as she learns about giving birth to a child who has Down Syndrome.

Part 1: Why do you think bringing up a child with Down Syndrome is more difficult?

Part 2: How might you respond if you heard your child was to be born with Down Syndrome?

Part 3: Do you think a person should abort a child if they know they're going to have developmental disorders?

Essay Topic 2

Martha has as dream which prompts her to have more prenatal testing on her child.

Part 1: Do you think that dreams are able to give sound advice?

Part 2: Why do you think Martha decided to listen to this dream that she had?

Part 3: How do you think you would respond if you had a dream that told you to do something?

Essay Topic 3

The idea of ambition is one that comes up often in this book, often shown in a less than positive light, with Martha and John both spending their energy to try to keep up their professional careers, to the detriment of all else.

Part 1: Why do you think Martha and John's careers are so important to them?

Part 2: Do you think career should come before all else? Why or why not?

Part 3: How do you think a person can balance personal and professional goals in a positive way?

(see the answer keys)

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