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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. Who is the first person Maya calls after hanging up with 911 on the night of her mother's accident?

2. In what room does Lauren find her mother unconscious and bleeding from the head?

3. What event does Maya say she had forgotten about due to the horrors of finding her mother bleeding on the floor?

4. Who tells Claire about Maya's mom checking into rehab?

5. What does Rafe say about his relationship with his sister?

Short Essay Questions

1. During Mark and Linda's second inquiry into Joaquin's feelings about their possible adoption of him, what is the question he finally poses to them?

2. How is the theme of isolation depicted within Joaquin's reaction to his sisters' queries after his altercation with Adam?

3. What are the characteristics of Lauren's communication with Claire that Maya considers unforgivable?

4. What word does Maya's dad use in reference to Maya's birth mother that infuriates Maya?

5. How does Lauren view Maya's treatment of Claire in relation to her own relationship with Maya?

6. When Grace muses that she is now a girl who does not "have friends anymore" (183), she makes one exception. Whom does she say is her friend?

7. For what transgression does Maya blame Claire for an extended period of time near the end of the couple's relationship and why?

8. What does Joaquin view as ironic about everyone making college plans around him at school?

9. How does Maya characterize her relationship with Lauren?

10. What are the contents of the text Maya receives from her dad, setting in motion the chain of events that lead to Maya and Claire's break-up?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Look carefully at the passages of the novel that describe the close relationship that develops over the course of the novel between the three siblings Grace, Maya, and Joaquin. What is the author's purpose for discussing at length the nature of these siblings' growing connection?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the author's use of humor alongside humanist messages within Robin Benway's novel Far From the Tree.

Essay Topic 3

What is the author's message regarding motherhood and what themes does the author employ in order to send these messages to the reader?

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