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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 does John go at the beginning of this chapter, according to Martha's account in the story?

2. What does John come across when he is walking one night, so he decides to lay down and sleep there?

3. Who shows John that death is just the beginning of a great adventure, according to the book?

4. Why didn't Adam go home for the first few days of life, according to her account in the story?

5. What does Martha find when she stops in the place, mentioned in #110, according to her account in the story?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Martha notice about the others in the room when she is about to give birth to Adam?

2. What did the doctor in the hospital accuse Martha of doing when she was admitted again for dehydration?

3. What was John unsure he could face every day when he is on his business trip, which caused him to question his life?

4. What were the circumstances surrounding the phone call that woke Martha up the next day?

5. What did John's dissertation adviser tell John when John tells him about the diagnosis?

6. What was John considering when he was set to go on another trip to Asia for his job?

7. Why was Martha having troubles with bleeding during her pregnancy?

8. What was the image that Martha had in a moment of despair when John left the apartment?

9. What did Martha decide to do when she was heading over to see the nurse practitioner?

10. What was the negative experience that Martha has in one of her classes, causing her to not doubt what others thought of her decision to have the baby?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Martha has an experience that leads her to write this book because of a meeting with a psychic.

Part 1: Do you think psychics have valuable information to offer to others?

Part 2: Why do you think that Martha decided to listen to the advice of the psychic?

Part 3: How do you think you might respond if you had heard that same advice from a psychic?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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