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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. When Mercedes walks out into the yard after Kathleen's death, what is missing from the garden?
(a) All the flowers.
(b) The headstone.
(c) The scarecrow.
(d) The family tree.

2. What is the name of Kathleen's accompanist in New York?
(a) Violet.
(b) Lily.
(c) Daisy.
(d) Rose.

3. What is the name of the school Kathleen was enrolled in as a child?
(a) Sydney's School for Catholic Girls.
(b) Saint Mary's.
(c) Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrows.
(d) Holy Angels.

4. How does James react when Kathleen sneaks up behind him and strikes the keys while he is tuning the piano?
(a) He begins to sing.
(b) He hugs her.
(c) He ignores her.
(d) He beats her.

5. How old was Frances at the time of her mother's death?
(a) Eight years old.
(b) Four years old.
(c) Ten years old.
(d) Six years old.

6. Whom does Lily confide in when her terrible nightmares about Ambrose continue?
(a) Frances.
(b) Mercedes.
(c) James.
(d) Lily does not tell anyone about the dreams.

7. What is the name of Lily's favorite movie star, whom she is teased mercilessly for admiring?
(a) Mary Pickford.
(b) Claudette Colbert.
(c) Greta Garbo.
(d) Barbara Stanwyck.

8. What job did James work to help pay for Kathleen's boarding school fees?
(a) He worked as a bookie.
(b) He worked in a coal mine.
(c) He worked as a bus driver.
(d) He worked as a dishwasher.

9. What is the name of the Piper family's cat?
(a) Stripes.
(b) Bobo.
(c) Trixie.
(d) Tiger.

10. Why doesn't Kathleen mind that she has no friends in school?
(a) Because she thinks she is better than all of them.
(b) Because she thinks she has a great future ahead of her.
(c) Because her family has forbidden her to have friends.
(d) Because she doesn't like any of them.

11. What is James's secret to staying alive on the battlefield?
(a) His apathy about life and death.
(b) His desperate desire to return home to family.
(c) His strong belief in fate.
(d) His prayers every morning and night.

12. What is strange about James's reaction to Kathleen striking the piano keys?
(a) It frightens him.
(b) It arouses him.
(c) It confuses him.
(d) All of the answers are true.

13. Why does Mercedes feel guilty about Frances's lot in life?
(a) Because Frances has no friends.
(b) Because Frances is expected to raise Lily.
(c) Because Frances was closest to their mother before her death.
(d) Because Frances is regularly beaten by their father.

14. How old was Materia when she first met James?
(a) Ten.
(b) Sixteen.
(c) Fourteen.
(d) Twelve.

15. What classic fairy tale does the narrator reference when describing Mumma's death?
(a) Hansel and Gretel.
(b) Sleeping Beauty.
(c) The Princess and the Pea.
(d) The Prince and the Pauper.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who found the dead baby and tried to resuscitate him?

2. What is James's reaction to burying Ambrose?

3. Who takes the blame for moving the rocks around Ambrose's grave?

4. During what hours of the day does James work as a bootlegger?

5. Which of the following Piper women waits hopefully everyday for James's death notice to arrive?

(see the answer keys)

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