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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 does Teresa Taylor give to Frances that infuriates Kathleen?

2. Which of the following medals does James receive when he is discharged from duty?

3. How does Kathleen's accompanist feel about Kathleen's voice?

4. How old was James when his father moved out?

5. Why does Mercedes feel guilty about Frances's lot in life?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the reaction of Materia's parents to her marriage?

2. What deal does Materia make with "the demon" to protect her second born daughter Mercedes?

3. What does James do for a living?

4. What job does Materia get to help pay for Kathleen's private education?

5. What is James obsessed with during his deployment, and how does that fuel his future upon returning home?

6. What motivates James to join the army?

7. What is James's job in battle, and how does he manage to survive?

8. What is the reaction to Kathleen's talent when she arrives in New York City?

9. What did Mercedes think was happening when she watched the incident at the creek?

10. What is significant about Daddy's position in the armchair in the photograph of him described in the novel's prologue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

There are three male babies born in the novel, and each of them dies shortly after birth. First, describe the three male babies and explain how each of them died. What symbolism can be found in the repeated death of the male babies? Do you think it is a coincidence that all the male babies died, or something darker? Did any of the babies die under suspicious circumstances? Finally, theorize how life in the Piper family might have been different if just one of the male babies had survived. Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout her life, Frances has a strange relationship with Teresa Taylor, the Mahmoud's maid. First, describe how Frances and Teresa first met. Then, explain how Frances and Teresa's lives were intertwined without either of them ever knowing it. Do you think Teresa's presence in Frances's life was a blessing or a curse? Why? Finally, explain how Teresa and Frances finally amended their strange relationship in the hospital. What was the effect of these amends on each of their lives? Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Language is large theme in this novel. First, describe Materia's relationship to her mother tongue and the ways she passed this on to her daughters. Then, compare / contrast Kathleen's relationship with her mother tongue to the relationship the rest of the Piper girls have with the language. How does this difference in language represent the maternal difference Materia felt for her various daughters? Finally, describe how the Piper girls kept Materia's mother tongue alive after her death, and what symbolism this language had on their daily lives after her passing. Be sure to include examples from the text to strengthen your arguments.

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